It’s a new year with an opportunity for a fresh start but for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Wednesday is a day in which the past threatens to overtake him.

Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz was canceled on Tuesday evening, as well as the scheduled meeting for the two parties’ negotiation teams, freezing talks of a unity government. Netanyahu is left with no choice but to return the mandate to form a coalition to President Reuven Rivlin. And if that’s not enough, Wednesday is the first day of the long-awaited pre-indictment hearings for the criminal charges against Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s 10-man legal team will defend the prime minister to a team of 20 state prosecution authorities led by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit at the Justice Ministry offices in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is meeting his right-wing allies on Wednesday morning – United Torah Judaism, Shas and Yemina – to discuss the freeze in coalition negotiations with Blue and White.

The hearings were originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week only but on Netanyahu’s request, the hearings will be stretched out over four days to ensure that Netanyahu’s lawyers will have ample time to present their claims. The hearings will continue on Sunday and Monday of next week, ending as Israel prepares for Yom Kippur. Mandelblit is expected to reach a decision on the charges by December 2019.

Case 4000, the first and most serious case to be discussed in the hearings, will be considered on Wednesday and Thursday. This case, otherwise known as the Bezeq-Walla affair, accuses Netanyahu of using his positions as prime minister and communications minister to provide controlling Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch with regulatory benefits in exchange for positive coverage of Netanyahu on Elovitch’s Walla! news site. This case is the most serious since it includes a charge of bribery for Netanyahu (and Elovitch). Netanyahu’s legal team will try to have the bribery charge reduced to breach of public trust.

Cases 1000 and 2000 will be discussed next week. In Case 1000, Netanyahu is accused of accepting thousands of dollars worth of gifts from businessmen in exchange for political favors. This case originally accused Netanyahu of bribery as well but Mandelblit has already determined that there is no basis for a bribery charge in this case and reduced it to a charge of breach of trust.

In Case 2000, Netanyahu is accused of colluding with Yediot Achronot publisher Arnon Mozes in advancing a Knesset bill to ban newspapers from free distribution in order to weaken the Israel Hayom newspaper, Yediot Achronot’s main competitor. Netanyahu is charged with breach of trust and Mozes has been charged with bribery.

Netanyahu has denied all the charges, claiming that they are a “witch hunt” by his opponents in order to remove him from office and establish a left-wing government.

On Tuesday evening, Likud activists demonstrated near Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s home in Petach Tivka in support of Netanyahu.
Case 1000
The prime minister received gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and provided political favors in return for those gifts. He may face charges of fraud and breach of trust.

While there appears to be sufficient evidence to prove the prime minister received gifts, and provided services in return, the prime minister insists the gifts he received were not illegal since one may receive gifts from friends. He adds that if one checks the events in detail, one will see some of his actions were not only not in favor of Milchan, but against his interests.

Case 2000
The prime minister entered into a deal with the publisher of Yediot Achronot, Arnon Mozes, in which the prime minister would receive favorable coverage and in return, he agreed to push ahead legislation against the newspaper Yisrael Hayom, owned by his major supporter, billionaire Sheldon Adelson. This came at a time when Yediot’s circulation was reduced significantly due to the free distribution of the newspaper Yisrael Hayom.

Case 4000
In his role as Minister of Communications, Mr. Netanyahu assisted Shaul Elovitch, who held control of Bezeq Communications. In return for this, as in the case with Mozes, Netanyahu was to receive favorable coverage by the Walla News site. In this case, charges against the prime minister include fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

The state has conclusive evidence that Netanyahu assisted Elovitch in his capacity as communication’s minister. The prime minister insists in this case too that receiving favorable coverage by a news site does not constitute bribery.

The video shows a spontaneous rally in support of PM Netanyahu, with participants insisting he is being framed in order to remove him from office. A large support rally is planned for this coming motzei Shabbos.

קטע קצר מההפגנה החצי ספונטנית והלא מסוקרת, כנגד תפירת התיקים לביבי.
היום היינו יותר מ 2000 מעוניינים לפחות להכפיל לקראת מוצאי שבת pic.twitter.com/aQFpJNk17K

— Shaul Shalem (@sshaul01) October 1, 2019

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)