Arnon Mozes and PM Netanyahu
Photos: Alex Kolomoisky, AFP
Israeli media reports alleged details of deal between Netanyahu and Yedioth publisher
Haaretz and Channel 2 report on meetings between PM and Arnon Mozes: ‘Deal included a sharp change in the nature of the coverage of the prime minister in the Yedioth Ahronoth group for a promise from Netanyahu to advance legislation that would badly hurt Mozes’s competitor newspaper Yisrael Hayom.’
Israeli media released Tuesday further details of alleged collusion between Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming that the two were questioned
under caution.
According to a Haaretz reporter Gidi Weitz, “The deal included a sharp change in the nature of the coverage of the prime minister in the Yedioth Ahronoth Group for a promise from Netanyahu to advance legislation that would badly hurt Mozes’s competitor, newspaper Yisrael Hayom.”
Yedioth publisher Arnon Mozes and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photos: AFP, Alex Kolomoiksy)
According to information obtained by Haaretz, “The publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth said to the prime minister that he will do anything to ensure that the latter would remain in his position as prime minister for as long as he wants. Haaretz was also informed that Mozes—who in addition to his position as publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth is also the editor responsible for the newspaper— suggested to Netanyahu to select a few journalists to his liking, and promised to employ them in the group’s media outlet immediately.”
Weitz added that “the prime minister, for his part, responded positively to the proposal outlined by Mozes, promised that he would move it forward, and said that he would need to check how to implement the deal between them with other politicians. Netanyahu undertook before Mozes to act to complete the deal between them at the end of the 20th Knesset elections that took place in March 2015.”
In addition, a journalist from Channel 2, Guy Peleg, reported that Mozes said to Netanyahu: “If you and I agree on the law, I will do everything I can so that you will be here for as long as you want. I look you in the eye and say this in the clearest possible way.” Peleg pointed out that he did not have a recording of the conversation.
Arnon Mozes is the publisher and owner of Yedioth Ahronoth Group, which includes Ynet.
