In what was billed as a "dramatic announcement," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a prime-time television address on Monday night to again dismiss a series of corruption allegations against him.
In his speech, the prime minister said it would be "unjust" for him to be indicted ahead of the early general election, called for April 9, without a chance to respond to the claims against him. He noted that many legal experts concurred with his opinion.
"This isn't an attack on the legal system, it is a legitimate complaint," Netanyahu said.
He said authorities had twice denied his requests to confront state witnesses in person – which he offered to do on live television – and had thus far refused to summon witnesses capable of proving his innocence.
"What are they afraid of? What do they have to hide? I am not afraid and I have nothing to lose. … As far as I am concerned it [the confrontation] can be broadcast live, so the public can see and hear it. I'm certain of my innocence," he said.
"The prime minister also has the right to defend himself. I'll refute anything the [state witnesses] say, because I know the truth and am sure of it four thousand percent. But how can we get to the truth when on one hand I'm not allowed to confront the witnesses against me, and on the other hand they don't summon essential witnesses who have information that disproves the claims against me?" the prime minister said.
As an example of one such witness, Netanyahu named Dr. Assaf Eilat, the head of the antitrust authority, who he called "the most important regulator" in the Bezeq-Walla case, otherwise known as Case 4,000.
He scoffed at the idea that one of the main accusations against him – that he "bought" positive news coverage on the Bezeq-owned Walla news website in exchange for government benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars for the telecom giant – could amount to bribery.
He then suggested one of his chief rivals in the April elections, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, was guilty of the same thing.
The prime minister opened his statements by hailing the judicial system a pillar of Israeli democracy.
"And in a democracy, he said, "there can be criticism against the judicial system, just as there is criticism of the Knesset and government, but I want to make clear – there are judges in Jerusalem. That's how it has been, and how it will be."
Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu on an array of charges stemming from three corruption investigations, but it falls to Netanyahu's hand-picked attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, to decide whether to bring charges. It's unclear whether he will do so before early elections.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and branded the investigations a "witch hunt" orchestrated by his political opponents and a hostile media. He has said he will not give up his re-election campaign or resign from office if indicted.
The prime minister's speech, of course, sparked a bevy of reactions from the political sphere and beyond.
The Justice Ministry and police rejected Netanyahu's claims that the corruption probes against him were not carried out properly.
A Justice Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the investigations were "conducted professionally and thoroughly."
"It is inappropriate for law enforcement authorities to relate to the investigative activities and the testimonies in the media, certainly not at this stage," the ministry statement added, in reference to Netanyahu's assertion that certain key witnesses were not interviewed.
A senior police official told Israel Hayom that "the prime minister's claim is strange. Confronting witnesses [with the accused] is not required in an investigation; it is usually done in isolated cases, not when the case spans a long period of time. Therefore, there was no point in confronting [Netanyahu] with the state's witnesses."
Opposition Leader MK Shelly Yachimovich said: "We saw a cynical and pathetic campaign speech by someone who is trying his best to escape justice, and I intend to ask the Knesset's Central Election Committee to makes sure similar spectacles don't happen again."
Meretz leader MK Tamar Zandberg said, "The only thing we can truly say about such a 'dramatic' announcement is that it was nothing because there was nothing.
Labor Chairman Avi Gabbay also went after the premier, saying that "in a normal country, the prime minister doesn't attack the authorities. Instead of dealing with the safety of the south's residents, the cost of living or the collapsing health system, Netanyahu is busy saving himself from the investigations."
