Police question Israeli PM on corruption allegations

JERUSALEM – Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday as part of their investigations into a string of corruption allegations.

The police said Netanyahu was questioned “for a number of hours” without elaborating, and declined further comment.

Authorities have questioned Netanyahu on a number of occasions in recent months. The latest questioning was believed to concern a case involving the country’s telecom giant.

Two Netanyahu confidants have been arrested on suspicion of promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Bezeq telecom company. In return, Bezeq’s subsidiary news site, Walla, allegedly provided positive Netanyahu coverage. The confidants have turned state witnesses.

Netanyahu denied the allegations in a Facebook post later Tuesday.

Netanyahu held the government’s communications portfolio until last year.

Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the accusations as a media witch hunt.