Netanyahu Formally Denies Charges in Court
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WWW.JPOST.COM THE Volume LXXXIX, Number 26922 JERUSALEFOUNDED IN 1932 M POSTNIS 13.00 (EILAT NIS 11.00) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021 27 SHVAT, 5781 Eye in the sky A joint goal Feminist religious art IAI unveils aerial Amos Yadlin on the need to When God, Jesus surveillance system 6 work with Biden to stop Iran and Allah were women Page 6 Page 9 Page 16 How did we miss Netanyahu formally denies charges in court Judges hint witnesses to be called only after election • PM leaves hearing early the exit • By YONAH JEREMY BOB two to three weeks to review these documents before wit- Prime Minister Benjamin nesses are called, that would ramp? Netanyahu’s defense team easily move the first witness fought with the prosecution beyond March 23. ANALYSIS on Monday at the Jerusalem Judge Rivkah Friedman Feld- • By YONAH JEREMY BOB District Court over calling man echoed the prosecution’s witnesses in his public cor- arguments that the defense A lifetime ago when living ruption trial before the March had between one to two years in northern New Jersey, I 23 election. to prepare for witnesses. But often drove further north for It seemed that the judges ultimately the judges did not work. were leaning toward calling seem anxious to call the first Sometimes the correct exit the first witness in late March witness before March 23. was small and easy to miss. or early April, which they A parallel fight between the But there were around five would present as a compro- sides was the prosecution’s or so exits I could use to avoid mise between the sides. desire to start the trial with the disaster of unnecessarily In an interim ruling issued Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla going over the George Wash- hours after the hearing ended, media bribery affair, while the ington Bridge in Manhattan the court instructed the pros- defense prefers to start with and losing two hours of time. ecution to provide a list of either Case 1000, the Illegal Keeping that in mind, it exhibits for the first stage of Gifts Affair, or Case 2000, was astonishing on Monday witness testimony by March the Yediot Aharonot-Israel being at the Jerusalem District 1 as well as a list of police wit- Hayom Affair of attempted Court, as it became clearer to nesses by February 15. media bribery. me than at any time in years Case 4000 is the prosecu- that in around a month or so, Sa’ar: Keep politics tion’s strongest case and con- Israel will endure its first ever tains the only full bribery full trial, with witnesses galore, out of PM’s trial, charge against Netanyahu. against a sitting prime minister. Page 5 Case 2000 is the weakest case, There were so many “exit and Case 1000 is viewed as ramps” before getting to this The judges explicitly said borderline. point: So how did the country they would not set a date In Cases 1000 and 2000, get here? PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with his lawyers at the Jerusalem District Court yesterday before a hearing in his trial for calling witnesses until Netanyahu is charged only on criminal allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. (Reuven Kastro/Pool/Reuters) First, Prime Minister Benja- deciding outstanding pre- with fraud and breach of pub- min Netanyahu could have trial issues, including those lic trust, as opposed to brib- continued his fighting the related to whether the probe ery. media’s coverage of him with- into Netanyahu was initiated Earlier at the hearing, Net- out adding more interven- properly. anyahu attended for only the tionist moves. He could have Drama with little Bibi loses his At the hearing earlier Mon- second time and rose before maintained ties with tycoons day, Netanyahu’s lawyer the court to confirm that his without leaving a pattern of Boaz Ben Tzur demanded lawyers’ response denying questionable conduct – both of impact on election boomerang that no witnesses be called the indictment was correct, which led to a criminal inves- “for another 120 days” to give saying, “I confirm the writ- tigation and possibly jail time. ANALYSIS ANALYSIS the defense sufficient time to ten answer submitted in my Whether innocent or guilty, • By HERB KEINON • By GIL HOFFMAN prepare for such a mega-case, name.” there was nothing pretty about which would also incidental- However, unlike the May the prime minister’s conduct, “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ly get the prime minister past 2020 hearing that he attend- especially in his later terms, Jerusalem courtroom Monday to respond formally to corrup- judges on Monday to accept his request to deal with tech- coalition negotiations if he ed, Netanyahu requested that despite a much cleaner reputa- tion charges just weeks before national elections in which he nical issues before setting a date for the prosecution to ques- forms the next government. his supporters avoid a public tion for most of his career than hopes to extend his 12-year rule,” read the lead paragraph to a tion its star witnesses may have seemed technical. Prosecutors Liat Ben Ari and protest in light of coronavirus that of former prime minister matter-of-fact AP news story. But the decision made it almost definite that the prose- Yehudit Tirosh said they could concerns. Ehud Olmert. People around the world, reading that article, might very cution’s case against the prime minister will not be heard be ready to call the first wit- While at the hearing, Net- By July 2018, The Jerusalem well think to themselves, “Wow, Netanyahu is appearing as a before Israelis cast their ballots, which looks like a victory ness, former Walla CEO Ilan anyahu used the disinfectant Post had exclusively reported defendant in a corruption trial just weeks before an election? for Netanyahu, who already knew he would not get to pres- Yeshua, “within one week.” liquid on his desk repeatedly. that Attorney-General Avichai Surely this will hurt him.” ent his side of the story before Election Day. However, under questioning There were some anti-Ne- Mandelblit would seriously But those people would be wrong. And it may have also decided Netanyahu’s strategy for the from Judge Moshe Bar Am, tanyahu protesters nearby weigh dropping all of the cases The AP reporter was right to link the two events – the trial March 23 election. Tirosh responded that if she who could be heard in the in a plea deal if Netanyahu and the elections – in his story’s opening paragraph. The cor- Until the judges’ decision, Netanyahu had two choices of needed to send a list of docu- courthouse chanting against would step down. ruption trial of a prime minister would, under normal circum- strategy: The Donald Trump approach and the Joe Biden ments relating to her first 15 him. But most of the neigh- Netanyahu’s early lead law- stances, surely impact on his chances in an upcoming election. approach. witnesses to the defense, this borhood was locked down by yer Yaakov Weinroth was very But these are abnormal circumstances, and Netanyahu’s The Trump approach is more fun. It involves stirring would take her three weeks, the police and the Shin Bet interested in these offers, but appearance in court on Monday will likely have little impact up your political base, getting them angry and using that which is where the new (Israel Security Agency). his client never was – and when on how people will vote on March 23. anger to motivate them to vote. But it is unavailable now. March 1 date comes from. Netanyahu attended the Full story, Page 3. Full story, Page 3. Given that the defense See EXIT, Page 7 would be expected to receive See CHARGES, Page 7 US rejoins UN human rights body, COVID deaths likely more than we know • By ROSSELLA TERCATIN strokes were treated in Israel about ambulance services, message to the public is that this year compared to previous elective surgeries and early there is a higher chance to get reversing Trump’s withdrawal As of Thursday night, some years,” he said. “It is import- detection tests, as well as issues infected in a crowded super- • By TOVAH LAZAROFF 5,171 Israelis had succumbed ant to highlight that there is in the field of mental health. market than at a hospital.” to the novel coronavirus, a specific window of time to “For all of those, we are However, people’s weariness The Biden administration around 1,800 of them since effectively treat strokes: four to going to see the consequenc- has re-established ties with the beginning of 2021. Howev- sixteen hours according to the es,” Halevy concluded. “My See KILLED, Page 7 the UN Human Rights Coun- er, the experience of medical procedure. What happened to cil three years after former US personnel as well as data from these people? They probably president Donald Trump exit- the Central Bureau of Statistics still made their way to the hos- ed the contentious body over suggest that the pandemic’s pital at some point, but too its anti-Israel bias. toll on the country’s health late, which translates to per- “The United States will and population is probably manent disabilities. engage with the council as an much higher. “If we consider cardiology, observer,” US Secretary of State we look at a similar situation. Antony Blinken said in a state- There are about four hours to ment he issued Monday. ‘Health funds successfully treat a heart attack should not choose after its first symptoms,” he added.