The Times and The Guardian both feature Israeli film producer Arnon Milchan beginning his testimony from the UK yesterday in Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s criminal trial. The Times writes: “Criminal inquiries against Netanyahu, now in a record sixth term as premier, began in 2016, sparking years of political turmoil in Israel. He has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for allegedly granting regulatory favours to businessmen in return for positive favourable media coverage. Netanyahu, who denies all the charges against him, has admitted to receiving gifts from Milchan but maintains that they were normal “exchanges of gifts between close friends.” Yet his defence team have only been able to demonstrate one return gift from the Netanyahus: a prime ministerial key-ring.”

Reuters reports Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rebuking security and law enforcement officials for what he called “collective punishment” of Jewish settlers, in the wake of the latest settler violence in the West Bank. Ben Gvir is said to have demanded police explain why they had cordoned the gate to the Jewish settlement of Ateret, close to the Palestinian village of Umm Safa which on Saturday became the latest site of settler violence. “Ben-Gvir told the police chief that ‘he opposes any violation of the law’ but cannot accept ‘collective punishment’ of settlers, a statement from the minister’s party said.”

Reuters covers the Israel government yesterday “re-booting” its judicial reform agenda. The reforms, it writes, have “stirred Western concern over Israel’s democratic health and spooked investors.” It also discusses the wide domestic dissent against the reforms, with demonstrators protesting for a twenty-fifth consecutive week this weekend and blocking a Tel Aviv highway.

All major Israeli media covers the joint statement made over the weekend by the Chief of the IDF General Staff, the director of the Shin Bet, and the Israel Police Commissioner in response to the latest settler violence in the West Bank. LTG Herzi Halevi, Ronen Bar, and Yaakov Shabtai wrote: “In recent days, violent attacks have been carried out by Israelis in Judea and Samaria against innocent Palestinians. These attacks contradict every moral and Jewish value; they constitute, in every way, nationalist terrorism, and we are obliged to fight them. Israel’s security forces are operating against those rioters, risking the lives of IDF soldiers, Israel Police officers and ISA personnel. This violence increases Palestinian terrorism and harms the State of Israel and the international legitimacy of Israel’s security forces to fight Palestinian terrorism. It also diverts the security forces from their main mission of operating against Palestinian terrorism. The IDF, ISA [Shin Bet] and Israel Police are committed to continuing to operate with determination and using all the means that are at our disposal to maintain security and the law in Judea and Samaria… We call on the leaders and educators in the communities to publicly denounce these acts of violence and to join the effort to fight against them.”

There is wide Israeli media coverage also of Milchan’s testimony. His evidence, given remotely from a hotel in Brighton in the UK and expected to last two weeks, relates to Case 1000, in which Netanyahu stands accused of fraud and breach of trust for allegedly accepting gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from Milchan and for acting on his behalf on a number of interests, including securing his residency visa for the US. Maariv details that Milchan testified that so frequent and lavish were his gifts that he gave his assistant Hadas Klein (a previous witness) carte blanche to give Netanyahu “whatever he wants”. He also alleged that the Prime Minister, whom he described as “nearly a brother” became concerned that Klein “knows too much” and requested that Milchan fire her. Netanyahu’s wife Sara was allowed to travel to the UK to be present in the room in which Milchan was giving his testimony. Prosecutor Liat Ben Ari at one stage intervened to accuse Mrs Netanyahu of communicating with Milchan. In Yediot Ahronot, Sima Kadmon writes, critically, that Mrs Netanyahu attended to “have a chance to glare threateningly at Milchan… to shift in her seat to express her displeasure.”

Ynet reports IDF troops coming under fire near the Gilad Farms outpost in the West Bank yesterday. A patrol force from the Givati unit returned fire, hitting the assailants’ car, which then fled towards Nablus. In a separate incident on Saturday night, a terrorist shot at security forces at the Qalandiya crossing at the entrance to Jerusalem, injuring three. Troops returned fire, killing the terrorist, who was later claimed by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Haaretz reports that Israel’s Foreign Minister is set to summon the Ukrainian ambassador over a social media post by the Ukrainian embassy which accused Israel of having “opted for a path of close cooperation with the Russian federation,” which it further called a “blatant disregard for moral boundaries.” The post was in response to incidents such as Israel’s agreement to the establishing of a branch office of the Russian consulate in Jerusalem and the attendance of Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel at a recent diplomatic reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in Jerusalem. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, “Despite the complexity with Russia, Israel stood by Ukraine from the beginning of the war until today, publicly supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and even voted to condemn Russia in international forums.”

Kan Radio reports on Netanyahu allegedly telling a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that Israel should act to forestall Palestinian aspirations for an independent state. It also suggests that Netanyahu spoke of Israel’s need to aid the Palestinian Authority to remain in power in the West Bank.

Israel Hayom details Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly advising Netanyahu to oppose the US’s expected decision to rejoin UNESCO, the UN’s cultural organisation which many Israelis argue displays a consistent bias against Israel. Arguing that any US rejoining should be conditional on the removal of the Palestinian Authority from the organisation, Smotrich wrote to the prime minister that “It goes without saying that Israel’s consent plays a central role in this case … Support for an organisation that twists history is not in line with the government’s Zionist and right-wing vision.”