PM accuses prosecution of ‘driving the country mad’ with ‘nonsense’ charges against him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his seventh day of testimony in his criminal trial, nearly a month since he last appeared in the Tel Aviv District Court.

The witness stand has been removed in favor of a table to allow Netanyahu to sit for the entire duration of his testimony, owing to what his defense attorney has said are medical recommendations not to exert himself for an extended period of time.

Netanyahu responds to questions from his defense attorney Amit Hadad about what the lawyer says were former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s frequent contacts with the media designed to change the media discourse about his policies.

The prime minister launches into a lengthy diatribe against the prosecution and the charges against him, insisting that it is natural for a prime minister to try and influence the media.

He says the charges against him that he had an illicit quid pro quo agreement with Walla news website owner Shaul Elovitch and that Walla gave him “special treatment” are unfounded, and at the same time, not a criminal violation.

“What is special treatment? I’ve been here for eight years. They’ve taken part of my life,” storms Netanyahu angrily, apparently in reference to the lengthy period of time since police investigations against him were initiated.

“They [the prosecution] have driven an entire country crazy over a website… What have they indicted me for, what am I sitting here for? Over nonsense,” he declares.  “They invented this idea [of special treatment] so they would have something to charge me with… What is this yardstick with which they have driven an entire country mad over the course of five elections?”