Ex-Walla editor denies Netanyahu stories were killed at higher rate than others

Yinon Magal testifies for 2nd day in Netanyahu graft trial, saying police were uninterested in hearing of coverage being skewed for other politicians; court breaks until September

Yinon Magal arrives at the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial, July 19, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Yinon Magal arrives at the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial, July 19, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A right-wing journalist told a court Wednesday that police were uninterested in hearing about politicians other than Benjamin Netanyahu trying to skew coverage in their favor, as he testified for a second day in the prime minister’s high-profile corruption trial.

Yinon Magal, a former editor at news site Walla, was questioned Wednesday for a second time by state prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh about apparent contradictions between statements he gave police in 2018 and his testimony to the court Tuesday, when he detailed “constant meddling” by politicians, and not just Netanyahu, at Walla. Stories about other politicians were hit with removal requests at a higher rate than those about Netanyahu, he testified.

Magal, a former Knesset member for the Jewish Home party and currently a anchor at pro-Netanyahu network Channel 14,  is a key witness in Case 4000, which centers on allegations that Netanyahu advanced regulatory decisions that were lucrative for Shaul Elvotich, the controlling shareholder of the Bezeq telecommunications firm. In exchange, the Bezeq-owned Walla news site allegedly skewed coverage in favor of Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, who denies wrongdoing, faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the case.

On Tuesday, Magal told the court he was instructed “not to attack” three other right-wing political figures: Avigdor Liberman, Moshe Kahlon and Gilad Erdan.

Tirosh, who had also questioned Magal on Tuesday, had petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to formally cross-examine him about the statement and was given a chance Wednesday morning. She asked him why he didn’t tell police about the pressure to bend coverage for politicians other than Netanyahu.

“I remember those three also as people you needed to be careful with and I didn’t understand why,” Magal said. “Just like I didn’t understand with Netanyahu, no one bothered to tell me why.”

Boaz Ben Zur at the Jerusalem District Court, July 19, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Asked by defense lawyer Boaz Ben Zur if he remembered attempting to tell police that other politicians pushed for favorable coverage, Magal indicated that the investigator he spoke to didn’t care about other politicians.

“He said let’s talk turkey about Netanyahu. He wasn’t interested in all the others,” Magal said.

Magal charged he was pressed by Walla’s CEO Ilan Yehoshua to take down articles by former left-wing activist — and now frequent Channel 14 guest — Eldad Yaniv detailing alleged corruption by various political figures.

“Ilan was crazy about this,” Magal said. “He told me they’d sue, I don’t remember who exactly, and said ‘they’ll close the site.'”

Magal confirmed that Yehoshua requested more articles relating to Netanyahu be removed relative to others.

“He generally asked to take down articles relating to his friends. There were more [requests] for Netanyahu because he’s prime minister, so it’s natural that there are more articles,” Magal said.

He argued that stories about Liberman, former prime minister Ehud Barak and the late Labor party minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer still had higher percentages of removal requests relative to the number of published articles than for Netanyahu.

The hearing was the last in Netanyahu’s trial until September, with the courts breaking for summer recess. Ben Zur’s cross-examination of Magal will continue when the trial resumes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the Jerusalem District Court for the testimony in his corruption trial of businessman Arnon Milchan’s, July 6, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Netanyahu’s trial began three years ago and, as things stand, the proceedings, including potential appeals, are seen as unlikely to end before 2028-2029. In late June, it was reported that the judges consider the bribery charge against the premier difficult to prove, and that they convened with state prosecutors and Netanyahu’s defense team to discuss the possibility of a plea bargain.

Netanyahu is also on trial for two additional counts of fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000, which concerns gifts he allegedly inappropriately received from billionaire benefactors, and Case 2000, in which he allegedly negotiated to obtain positive media coverage in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in exchange for curtailing its competitors.

He denies any wrongdoing in the cases against him and claims that the charges were fabricated in a witch hunt led by the police and state prosecution.

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