'Destroy Your Phones,' More Details Arise In Netanyahu Scandal

"Erase the texts. Destroy the phone," Nir Hefetz, media adviser to Netanyahu and star witness of Case 4000 is quoted as having told the the owner of Bezeq. Bezeq is just one connection in the multiple media collusion, fraud, corruption and bribery cases facing Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. "Destroy the phone. I destroyed mine."

I am not a fan of soap operas generally, but I will admit I've been glued to the edge of my seat as the Netanyahu corruption scandal continues to unfold. Hefetz is the third confidante of Prime Minister Netanyahu to have turned state's witness. Case 4000 involves the Bezeq telecommunications company, a giant in Israel. The head of Bezeq, by the way, has just stepped down as well.

Nir Hefetz urged Shaul and Iris Elovitch to destroy their phones in order to get rid of evidence of their communications with Prime Minister Netanyahu's wife Sara in regards to offering regulations that would benefit the telecom giant in exchange for positive press from the Walla news site, one of the Bezeq holdings. Hefetz did destroy his phone but was still able to offer incriminating recordings to the investigators in exchange for immunity when he turned state's witness earlier this month.

Hefetz was a key player in Case 4000 which also embroils Shlomo Filber, director-general of the Communications Ministry who has also turned state's witness. As we have previously reported Sara Netanyahu had complained to Iris Elovitch that an editor of Walla news site needed to be fired for his negative coverage of the Netanyahus. According to Israeli media sources, the police also possess messages between Iris and Sara related to pay for play offer in exchange for portraying the Prime Minister in a positive light. It is this connection that makes Sara Netanyahu another suspect in the case. At this point, police are seeking indictments for both Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu and want to interrogate both of them separately along with their son Yair.

The situation is by no means new according to Yehudit Tirosh of the Israel Securities Authority:

<blockquote>“I have no way of properly describing the benefit [he received],” she said. “We are talking about enlisting a leading news site to provide adulating coverage in return for regulatory benefits given by the Communications Ministry, the minister of communications, and the director-general of the Communications Ministry,” she said.</blockquote>

In fact, Netanyahu started out as communications minister before ever working up to Prime Minister. It was during this time that Walla's coverage of Netanyahu shifted favorably. With anti-trust issues, fraud, corruption, bribery, media collusion and more piling up around the Netanyahu family it is becoming more likely that Bibi will advance snap elections ahead of schedule to escape indictment. Stay tuned at the

Netanyahu served as communications minister from November 2014 to February 2017. During that time, Walla’s coverage notably changed to favor the Netanyahu family, and Bezeq was given permission, among other things, to buy the satellite cable provider Yes, overriding antitrust issues, and to renege on its commitment to lease out its infrastructure to telecom competitors so they could provide competing fixed line and internet services.

Source:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-netanyahu-aide-urged-bezeq-owner-to-destroy-your-phones-report/