Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lambasted the Israel Police for recommending an indictment against him on corruption charges, saying the recommendations lack any legal basis and are part of a "witch hunt" against him and his family.
Earlier, the police said there was sufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against the prime minister and his wife, Sara, for alleged bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and fraudulently receiving benefits in Case 4,000 – a corruption case involving Israel's telecom giant Bezeq and the Walla news website, which Bezeq owns.
The police allege that Bezeq's former controlling shareholder, Shaul Elovitch, ensured positive coverage by Walla for Netanyahu, in exchange for the prime minister promoting government regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the company.
Journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being instructed to refrain from negative reporting on Netanyahu and his family.
The police recommendation also included charges against Elovitch and his wife and son.
Shortly after the police recommendation was announced Sunday, Netanyahu said it "came as no surprise to anyone."
He slammed the "obvious timing" of the announcement, which coincided with Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh's last day in office.
Netanyahu and Alsheikh have repeatedly locked horns over the way the police have been handling the various police investigations in which the prime minister has been implicated.
"These recommendations were decided and leaked even before the investigations began. They have no legal standing," Netanyahu said.
"Only recently, individuals with actual authority categorically rejected the police recommendations against a long list of public figures. I'm sure that in this case, too, the relevant bodies will examine the evidence and arrive at the same conclusion – that nothing can come of this because there is nothing there."
Speaking at a Likud party Hanukkah gathering on Sunday evening, Netanyahu harshly criticized the police, saying the investigation into Case 4,000 was "tainted" and the allegations against him and his wife were "baseless."
"The truth will eventually emerge. … Hanukkah marks the victory of light over darkness, and the light will always prevail," he told a cheering crowd.
"How did they know to time [the release of] these surreal allegations precisely on the very last day the police chief is in office? What can I tell you? A real Hanukkah miracle. What a holiday gift they gave us.
"I wasn't surprised by the recommendation or by the timing of their publication. They aren't fooling anyone with the transparent, petty timing of the publication of the predetermined recommendations, the deliberate leaks, the tainted process and the false allegations about me and my wife . I'll say it again: The timing of this announcement proves what I've been saying from day one – this was a fixed match."
"The witch hunt against us continues," he told the crowd. "The investigation was biased from the beginning, before they [the police] even launched an investigation. They decided what the outcome would be and leaked their conclusions."
Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case, said there was never any quid pro quo deal with Elovitch.
Netanyahu until recently also served as communications minister in addition to being the prime minister.
"I didn't give anything to Elovitch, nor did I get anything from him. Not only did Elovitch not get anything from me during my tenure as communications minister, he lost a fortune. As communications minister, we instituted the wholesale market reform that lowered internet prices and caused Bezeq's shares to tumble, which seriously hurt Elovitch," he said.
He also dismissed the allegation that as part of the deal he received positive coverage from Walla, saying, "I got terrible coverage from Walla. … Walla is a left-wing website that gives and has given me negative coverage for years, especially on the eve of the last elections.
"After an endless flood of tendentious leaks from the investigation, after daily brainwashing of the public by the media, it's time to tell the truth, to say what everyone feels in their gut is wrong.
"When senior law enforcement officials had the gall to claim that I sent private investigators to spy on police investigators, and that my wife Sara convinced a [female] police officer to file a sexual harassment complaint against the head of the investigating unit – it became evident that no other outcome was ever possible here. Such ludicrous allegation. How can they [the investigators] conduct an unbiased investigation when the brass tells them that my wife and I have private investigators following them?"
Concluding his speech, Netanyahu said, "I don't think it's healthy in a democracy for the police to investigate the relationships between journalists and politicians, but if they do, they should investigate everyone. The next police commissioner will have his hands full with rehabilitating the public's confidence in the police, as it's not exactly breaking records."
The final decision whether to indict Netanyahu and his wife rests with Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, who is still weighing whether to charge Netanyahu in two other corruption cases.
Mendelblit said Monday that the police enjoy his office's full backing.
Speaking at a Knesset State Control Committee meeting, Mendelblit said, "All law enforcement agencies in Israel work together. As the attorney general, I offer the Israel Police my full backing, without question."
