PM says former aide Nir Hefetz once floated idea of quid pro quo agreement with Elovitch but he turned it down

By Jeremy Sharon

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11 December 2024, 4:47 pm 1 Edit

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Netanyahu tells the court Nir Hefetz, a former confidant and key witness in Case 4000, had once floated the idea of a mutually beneficial deal with Shaul Elovitch, which would see the premier receive positive coverage on Walla in exchange for providing benefits for the Bezeq telecommunications giant, of which Elovitch was the controlling shareholder.

“I said don’t bring me things like this,” Netanyahu recalls. “Everyone knows that this is my attitude.”

He says that he would have had the same response if Elovitch himself had approached him with the idea.

“It’s not good to be a friend of Bibi, because it doesn’t help,” he says, referring to himself in the third person.

“But it didn’t come up,” he adds. “He [Elovitch] didn’t ask or hint.”