Netanyahu in court: Sara would ‘look like a sumo wrestler’ if she drank 160 cases of champagne

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the courtroom in the Tel Aviv District Court before the start of a hearing in his trial, April 22, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the courtroom in the Tel Aviv District Court before the start of a hearing in his trial, April 22, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Testifying in his ongoing corruption trial, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses claims that he received improper gifts of champagne and cigars from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in exchange for pushing legislation favorable to him, known as Case 1000.

“Milchan gave me cigars as a friend, I never asked him to, he would come and give them to me,” Netanyahu tells the court.

The prime minister also claims that “Milchan bathed in champagne, he drank champagne with every meal, his basement was full of champagne, he would give everyone champagne, he gave it to [Shimon] Peres as well.”

His wife Sara, says Netanyahu, “received a fraction of that. My wife would look like a sumo wrestler if she drank 160 cases of champagne, and I can tell you that she doesn’t weigh 300 kilograms.”

He also dismisses claims by witness Hadas Klein, who worked as an aide to Milchan, that Sara harassed and threatened Klein and tried to get her fired.

“I never once saw Sara yell at her, what I saw was all ‘lovey dovey,'” the prime minister claims.

Protesters at the trial shout at Netanyahu at one point that the hostages being held in Gaza “don’t have champagne and cigars.”

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