Publisher reportedly told PM he would do all he could to keep him in power

Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes reportedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if the two reached a deal, he would do all he could to keep Netanyahu in power.

“If we can come to an agreement on the law, I will do all I can to make sure you stay in power as long as you want,” Channel 2 quotes Mozes as saying from within hours of taped conversation between the two. “I’m looking you in the eye, and saying this as clearly as I can,” he reportedly says.

The apparent deal on the table, which was never implemented, would have seen the prime minister work to reduce the circulation of the pro-Netanyau Israel Hayom daily newspaper — Yedioth’s biggest rival — in exchange for more favorable coverage in Yedioth.

Leaks from the ongoing investigations into Netanyahu continued to trickle out today, with police reported to have seized hours of tapes from negotiations the prime minister held with the dominant media mogul over a mutually beneficial deal. Those recordings are said to prove, among other things, that Netanyahu initiated the illicit meetings.

Police have two tapes, each containing hours of conversations between Netanayhu and Mozes, recorded on multiple occasions.