In a pivotal development, Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid—a former prime minister, leader of Israel’s centrist Yesh Atid party and a staunch rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—testified in Netanyahu’s corruption trial in Jerusalem on Monday.
At the heart of the case, known as Case 1000, is the allegation that between 2007 and 2016, Netanyahu leveraged his power to advance the personal interests of Israeli businessman and Hollywood tycoon, Arnon Milchan. The indictment suggests that in exchange for luxurious gifts worth about one million new shekels ($279,000) from Milchan, Netanyahu allegedly sought to extend Milchan’s US residence visa and attempted to secure him tax breaks in Israel.
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This case is one of three high-profile cases against Netanyahu, who is facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Lapid, who served as finance minister at the time, testified that Netanyahu contacted him twice about a bill to extend regulations exempting Israeli returnees from declaring foreign income.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has vehemently denied all allegations, dismissing the indictment as part of a “witch hunt”. Milchan, whose health is reportedly frail, is expected to testify from London later in June via video link.