Yesterday evening, Channel 2 News published new transcripts of conversations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arnon (Noni) Mozes, publisher of mass circulation Hebrew daily "Yediot Ahronot". The dealings between the two men are the subject of a police investigation known as "case 2000", which is addition to "case 1000", which involves gifts to Netanyahu by, among others, Hollywood producer and Channel 10 part-owner Arnon Milchan.
Netanyahu and Mozes "trade" in journalists, seeking to silence some of them, and talk about negotiations they held over the bill promoted by MK Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union) in 2015 that would have forced "Israel Hayom", the free daily financed by Sheldon Adelson that strongly supports Netanyahu, to charge a cover price. Israel Hayom has severely cut into Yediot Ahronot's circulation and advertising revenue.
The transcript published by Channel 2 is as follows:
Moses: "Give me someone right-wing, I've been saying that to you for a long time."
Netanyahu: "I can't invent someone. Hagai Segal, Sheldon took him to be editor of "Makor Rishon"."
Mozes: "Directing the media is a craft."
Netanyahu: "I'm talking to a master craftsman, as a master craftsman."
Mozes: "You…"
Netanyahu: "You are such a master craftsman."
Mozes: "Suggest someone who can write op-eds tomorrow, go on, suggest someone. By tomorrow morning, regardless of anything, before the bill, before everything. I'm trying to show you goodwill. Suggest someone."
Netanyahu: "Take that guy, the footballer, Avi Ratzon."
(Mozes expresses unwillingness.)
Netanyahu: "What do you care?"
Mozes: "Drop it, I need to protect you from yourself. We need someone who can write op-eds mid-week. Give him (Ari Haro, then Netanyahu's chief of staff and now under police investigation) 2-3 names and we'll approach them, but we have to check that they haven't spoken out publicly about the bill."
Netanyahu: "Every day, what do they call that woman?"
Mozes: "Sima?" (referring to journalist Sima Kadmon)
Netanyahu: "Every day, there's one that kills me, what's he called? Abramovich." (referring to Yediot Ahronot columnist Amnon Abramovich).
Mozes: "We've been talking for two years and we said that if we get along you have to find a way, and it's not complicated. Nahum." (referring to Yediot Ahronot journalist Nahum Barnea).
Netanyahu: 'What about Amnon?"
Mozes: "I don't even want to start arguing with you over whether he works for me. Does he work for me? Is it possible to tell these people what to do? Is it possible to tell Amnon what to do? Really, he wants Barak to come back, that's what he wants."
Netanyahu: "OK, let Amnon be balanced."
Mozes: "No, no, I can't take our people. Sima, Nahum, those people? That's your job. I told you."
Mozes: "There'll be an earthquake here (changing Yediot Ahronot's editorial stance). That's something we have to be smart about how we do it."
Netanyahu: "We're talking about moderation, about a reasonable press, to lower the threshold of hostility towards me from 9.5 to 7.5."
Mozes: "I understand that. Whatever, we have to take care that you will be prime minister."
Netanyahu: "I think that for the sake of the country it's necessary to take care of that."
Mozes: "I told you, fortunately for you you're the one crazy enough to want to be prime minister, so fine, be prime minister."
Mozes: 'What's the bottom line, how can it be done quickly?"
Netanyahu: "It's possible to pass the law. I want to speak to the redhead (Sheldon Adelson). He'll be in Israel in two weeks."
Mozes: "We have to see how something can be done that he can live with. Perhaps a different law. I want to make things easy, I'm not looking to make difficulties. We need Eitan Cabel with us, and someone of yours in the Knesset."
Netanyahu: "Eitan should say 'I want to reach a compromise.' Perhaps we can persuade him to drop the sweeping law."
Mozes: "Which Knesset committee will it go to?"
Netanyahu: "We'll set up a special committee."
The initiator of the bill MK Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union) was interviewed by Rina Mazliah in last night's "Meet the Press" program. He said, "I'm not part of this disgusting story. I had no dealings with Netanyahu about this."
Asked about the meetings between Netanyahu and Mozes, he said, "Such snobbish discussions between two people that loathe each other makes me feel awful. These things sicken me and do not make me feel good. I've been asked if Noni or the prime minister asked me to start this or that process but from the moment the bill passed its preliminary reading, I didn't conduct any talks with anybody on the subject."
Netanyahu said, "As I've said and you already know, there won't be anything because there wasn't anything. I saw the left-wing demonstrations on Saturday night. I say again to our friends in the opposition - don't rush to celebrate. We'll stay here and lead the country for many more years to come."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 15, 2017
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