Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the Tel Aviv District Court this morning (Wednesday) to renew his testimony in the "Alphabet Cases" and attacked the decision to move to four hearings a week starting next month.
""If we say equality before the law, then no one receives preferential treatment," Netanyahu claimed. "There are no cases where there are three hearings a week. That doesn't exist. It does exist in my case with the roles I have to perform for all of us in one of the most challenging periods there is, both on the national and international levels.".
He described what his schedule as prime minister looked like in relation to the court's schedule. "We finished the discussions yesterday at 1:20 PM, at 1:30 PM I entered into a discussion in the Kirya with the security leadership. After that I spoke with the Americans. I then dealt with a few issues and then traveled to Jerusalem. At 11:15 PM I had a secret two-hour conversation with a personality from the region. I went to bed at 4 AM.
""What I'm describing to you here doesn't begin to describe all the stress there is from a diplomatic, security and political perspective. There is coordination with the Americans to tour the city. I guess I'll go to bed again at four. I'm in the most difficult position in the world - and I'm trying to be prime minister and also in court, and I'm making more efforts than is customary.".
""I asked my lawyers to find an admission that there is a hearing three times a week. Also, if they say equality before the law, no one receives preferential treatment. But no one has a case like this.".
He addressed the judges and said: "You too cannot have any idea about the dangers that need to be identified in time and the opportunities. And in contrast, the court unanimously ruled that both things can be managed simultaneously. You have no way of knowing. Some kind of balance was established that is also almost impossible, but to put me in a place where no citizen is when I am required to act for all citizens of the State of Israel? I'm talking about injustice. There will be hundreds more defense witnesses here. Hearings cannot be held four days a week.".
The lead prosecutor in the case, attorney Jonathan Tadmor, said that the bottom line is that a hearing three times a week is acceptable, but no less so.
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