At trial, Netanyahu says Walla election coverage favored Bennett, not him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts in his testimony in court that coverage of the 2013 election by the Walla news website was hostile toward him and favored his right-wing rival, Naftali Bennett.

Netanyahu argues that this undermines the allegations that he received favorable coverage from Walla in return for regulatory decisions that were beneficial to Walla owner Shaul Elovitch’s business interests in the Bezeq telecommunications company.

Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad cites several Walla articles that portrayed Bennett as hostile to then-ascendant center-left parties led by Tzipi Livni and Shelley Yachimovich, despite Zeev Rubinstein, a friend of Sara Netanyahu’s, having asked the Walla CEO to portray Bennett as well-aligned with the center-left.

In court, Hadad plays footage of a fawning interview Walla conducted with Bennett, during which the right-wing politician was lobbed softballs about his dedication to the country.

“This contradicts what Rubinstein was requesting,” says Netanyahu of one of the articles.

“[While] Rubinstein decided that it was good to show Bennett as adjacent to Livni, this article was showing Bennett as being on the responsible right wing,” he says.

Adds Netanyahu, “This proves what I said: Walla was serving Bennet’s campaign; it was a disciplined effort by Walla for Bennett’s campaign.”

Netanyahu is testifying in the Tel Aviv District Court for the third day.