Netanyahu accuses prosecutors of setting a trap in his trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused prosecutors of misleading him and setting a trap during his cross-examination on Monday, as his defense team began the final stage of questioning in his long-running criminal trial. The exchange at the Tel Aviv District Court, focused on Case 2000, quickly devolved into a dispute over whether Netanyahu was shown a complete picture during the prosecution's questioning.

"I am a trainee lawyer in this absurd process," Netanyahu told the judges. "They present me with a false picture... They set a trap, and I fall into it." He argued that prosecutors had caused him to give answers that could be portrayed as inconsistent, despite what he believed was a clearer picture in the underlying testimony and records.

Monday marked the start of questioning by Netanyahu's attorney, Amit Hadad, after the prosecution concluded its cross-examination last week. The defense's questioning is formally limited to clarifying matters raised during the prosecution's questioning.

Case 2000, one of three cases against Netanyahu, centers on recorded conversations between the prime minister and Arnon "Noni" Mozes, the publisher of Yediot Ahronot and Ynet. The indictment alleges that Netanyahu and Mozes discussed restricting Yediot's competitor, Israel Hayom, in exchange for more favorable coverage of Netanyahu and negative coverage of his rivals. Both Netanyahu and Mozes deny wrongdoing.

Hadad sought to revisit whether Netanyahu had met with Mozes while serving as finance minister in 2003. Netanyahu had previously stated he did not remember such a meeting. Hadad contended that prosecutors had presented only partial testimony from Mozes, omitting passages where Mozes himself expressed uncertainty about the meeting. The judges noted Netanyahu had already stated he didn't remember, but Hadad insisted the presentation was misleading. The argument later shifted to testimony by Nir Hefetz, Netanyahu's former spokesman and a state witness, with Hadad claiming the prosecution misrepresented Hefetz's description of a period of calm between Netanyahu and Mozes during the 2009 election campaign.

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I am a trainee lawyer in this absurd process. They set a trap, and I fall into it.