Prosecutor and Defense Clash Over Finance Minister Elkin’s Testimony in Netanyahu Trial

In a dramatic session of the Netanyahu trial on Wednesday, prosecutor Alon Gildin opposed the defense’s proposed format for questioning Finance Minister Zeev Elkin. Gildin requested to conduct a primary examination of Elkin, arguing that the minister is closely aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and politically dependent on him. He highlighted that Elkin is a government minister, a member of Netanyahu’s party, and had recently criticized the prosecution in a public interview, suggesting bias against Netanyahu. Gildin also noted Elkin’s expected testimony about proposing coalition members be given a free vote on the "Israel Hayom" bill, which he said justified a primary prosecution questioning.

Netanyahu’s defense attorney, Amit Hadad, strongly opposed the request, stating that Elkin cannot replace a prosecution witness and threatened to stop providing advance notice of defense witnesses if the prosecution persisted. The presiding judge, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, insisted that the defense must continue to update the court on witness identities to ensure orderly proceedings, but ultimately rejected the prosecution’s request to extend the hearing time.

Elkin is testifying for the defense in Case 2000, which involves conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon "Noni" Mozes, publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth. His testimony is expected to focus on coalition negotiations related to legislation aimed at limiting the distribution of the rival newspaper "Israel Hayom." The session underscored tensions between prosecution and defense over witness examination procedures and trial management.