Israel urges Netanyahu return gifts; he denies keeping them

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister’s office has urged former premier Benjamin Netanyahu to return dozens of expensive gifts he received while serving in the nation’s top job. The office of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed Monday that it has told Netanyahu to return gifts of high values, including several from foreign leaders. Netanyahu’s spokesman said all such gifts have been returned and are not in the former prime minister’s possession. Netanyahu is on trial for corruption. He has reportedly spent recent weeks on a private island in Hawaii owned by one of the witnesses in the case, Oracle founder Larry Ellison. A Netanyahu spokesman says the family is paying for the trip.