Netanyahu's political future uncertain as Israeli corruption trial starts

An Israeli prosecutor told acourt on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hadhelped a business couple to clinch deals worth hundred ofmillions of shekels in exchange for favourable coverage of himon a news website they controlled.

Netanyahu's corruption trial opened on a day of highpolitical drama in Israel as President Reuven Rivlin held talkswith party delegations on who they would recommend he pick totry to form a government after an inconclusive election lastmonth, the country's fourth in two years.

A spokespersonfor Rivlin said the president would announce hisdecision on Tuesday. Netanyahu, whose right-wing Likud partycame first in the March 23 ballot, won the most endorsements,but was still short of a governing majority in parliament.

Speaking at the trial in Jerusalem District Court, stateprosecutor Liat Ben-Ari said: "The relationship betweenNetanyahu and the (co-) defendants became currency, somethingthat could be traded."

"This currency could distort a public servant's judgment,"Ben-Ari said.

Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery,breach of trust and fraud in a case that, along with theinconclusive election, has clouded his prospects of remaining inoffice. It is the first criminal trial of a sitting Israeli
prime minister.

In a video statement on his Facebook page after the day'scourt session concluded, Netanyahu again accused Israeli legalauthorities of mounting a witch hunt to remove "a strongright-wing prime minister" from office.

"This is what a coup attempt looks like," he said, using aterm he has invoked before about the prosecution's conduct.

Criminal charges

The state said Netanyahu was responsible for regulationsthat allowed a telecommunications power-couple, Shaul and IrisElovitch, to win deals worth "many hundreds of millions ofshekels" in return for them sweetening coverage of the premieron the Walla news site, then under their control.

Former Walla CEO Alan Yeshua testified that while employedthere he had been "barraged" by demands from the Elovitchs andby Netanyahu confidants to promote the prime minister and playdown or attack his political rivals.

"The Elovitches asked me not to let the editors know thatthe reason for the requests had to do with imminent regulatorymoves," Yeshua told the court.

Iris Elovitch, who like her husband denies wrongdoing,interrupted Yeshua, shouting: "How much can you lie?"

Netanyahu, who faces two additional cases, spent an hour atthe court session, departing with the judges' consent beforeYeshua testified.