Bibi Trial: ‘Shish-Kebab’ Was Code for PM’s On-Demand Positive Press Orders
Accused of coordinating a quid-pro-quo arrangement with major Israeli news site Walla News, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nicknamed “Kim Jong Un” by staffers, and his on-demand orders for positive news coverage were referred to as “shish-kebabs,” according to the Walla News CEO who testified at Netanyahu’s corruption trial this week.
In court, the State of Israel has alleged that Netanyahu had desperately tried to take control of Walla News, the country’s most important news portal and its go-to site for political exposés and gossipy bombshells.
In the dramatic opening arguments of the evidentiary phase of Netanyahu’s trial—in which he stands accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust—Chief Prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari contended that the prime minister, Defendant Number One, had “abused the power of his office to grant illegal favors and further his personal interests” with major media outlets.