The defense submitted a collection of photographs from various events in which the defendant and Ben-Eliezer are seen (P/9). I do not believe that these photographs should change the conclusion reached, since some of the photographs are from official events (on the eve of the distribution of scholarships, Georgian Jewish Day, or an official conference held on February 12, 2011), and the other part does not bear the defense's descriptions of the depth of the friendship.
- The conclusion that emerges from the compilation is that even if the defendant felt closeness and concern for Ben-Eliezer, and I have no doubt that he felt so, an examination of the totality of the data does not make it possible to define the personal relationship as a "courageous friendship" as the defense claimed.
Summary – The nature of the relationship that existed between the defendant and Ben-Eliezer
- Thus far, we have walked through "five time stations" while examining various factual systems related to the relationship between the defendant and Ben-Eliezer, and later we discussed the nature and strength of the personal relationship that was forged between the two.
It was determined that the beginning of the relationship with Ben-Eliezer was accompanied by a certain economic interest that the defendant held, along with his desire to assist the State of Israel. This economic interest dissipated only a short time after he came into the world. It was further determined that the prosecution did not prove that the defendant had lent money to the adversary, and later its claims of improper involvement of the defendant or knowledge of improper actions carried out in connection with the drilling license at the Ashdod dam were rejected. With regard to the fifth time station, it was determined that the defendant had a significant economic interest in the tax proceedings, and this interest also spilled over into the relationship with Ben-Eliezer when the defendant expected that he would need to present evidence in those proceedings (and understood that Ben-Eliezer's testimony could be effective), and later (after the transfer of the money) he mentioned Ben-Eliezer's name to me as a potential witness who would support his version, as indeed happened.