Ex-Netanyahu confidant reportedly agrees to confront PM and his wife

Nir Hefetz’s testimony thought to be vital in Case 4000 probe of alleged graft involving Netanyahu and Shaul Elovitch, owner of Bezeq and Walla

Nir Hefetz, a former top aide and confidant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly told police investigators he is willing to “confront” Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, under police observation.

The “confrontation” refers to an investigatory device sometimes used by police, which places suspects in a case in a room together to see how they react to each other and what they say.

Hefetz is a key state’s witness in three separate corruption probes involving the Netanyahus, dubbed by police as cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.

According to the Ynet news site, Netanyahu has only testified once in Case 4000, and police are expected to question him again in the coming days.

Shaul Elovitch arrives at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing in Case 4000, February 26, 2018. (Flash90)

Case 4000 involves suspicions that Netanyahu made regulatory decisions as communications minister to favor the Bezeq telecom giant, and in exchange demanded favorable coverage from the popular Walla news site. Both Bezeq and Walla are owned by the same man, Shaul Elovitch.

Hefetz is thought to be an especially valuable witness in the case, as he is alleged to have carried the actual demands between the parties, and was the one seen to pressure Walla over its coverage, allegedly at the instruction of the Netanyahus.

Hefetz is the third state’s witness police whom have acquired in the three investigations. Former Netanyahu chief of staff Ari Harow and suspended Communications Ministry director-general Shlomo Filber are also testifying in the cases, but neither has been part of a confrontation.

Hefetz agreed to any confrontation that the police require as part of his state’s witness agreement, according to Ynet. It was not immediately clear if police were seeking the encounter as part of the investigation.

Case 1000 involves gifts given to the Netanyahus by billionaire friends, and suspicions that the gifts — which included luxury cigars and champagne — were part of a quid pro quo relationship in which Netanyahu acted to benefit his benefactors.

Case 2000 is examining suspicions that Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon “Noni” Mozes allegedly struck a deal according to which Netanyahu would advance legislation that would hurt rival daily Israel Hayom in exchange for favorable coverage in Yedioth.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara Netanyahu, responds to media questions after he visited the “3000 years of history: Jews in Jerusalem” exhibit at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, March 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

On Thursday night, Netanyahu reiterated his insistence that he is innocent in all cases. He responded to criticism over his slamming police earlier this week, accusing them of creating an “industry of state’s witnesses that would not be necessary if there was actual evidence.

“We’re under constant attack, every hour, every minute,” Netanyahu told reporters Thursday before boarding a flight back to Israel after an official visit to the US. “The prime minister is allowed to insist on justice and to defend himself. It’s absurd to try to silence us. I will tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable for some people,” Netanyahu said.