Netanyahu’s defense asks to summon ex-attorney general — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, the defense team of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Jerusalem District Court to summon former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit as a witness in the criminal proceedings against the head of government. As The Jerusalem Post reports, Mandelblit may testify in the case for the first time several weeks before the elections scheduled for October 27.
Proposed testimony dates
Netanyahu’s lawyers asked to allocate seven days for Mandelblit’s testimony: October 11 and 12, as well as October 18 through 22. The first of the proposed dates falls four days after the third anniversary of October 7 and slightly more than two weeks before the elections.
Israeli law provides that the attorney general’s consent is required to launch a criminal investigation into a sitting prime minister. Mandelblit granted such permission and, in 2019, decided to indict Netanyahu in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.
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Dispute over the scope of the investigation
Mandelblit is expected to be asked during his testimony which specific lines of investigation he authorized, when he granted the permissions, and whether the police exceeded the established limits. The defense argues that some investigative actions took place without the required approval and challenges evidence obtained as a result of such actions. The prosecution insists that the former attorney general approved the investigation and disagrees with the defense’s interpretation of the scope of his consent.
The differences were also raised in earlier testimony. Former investigator Shmuel Sharvit said that court-authorized wiretapping of Netanyahu associate Natan Eshel was halted in less than a month due to the lack of proper approval from Mandelblit. At the same time, former police legal adviser Alon Tsarfati testified that the attorney general’s consent was required to open an investigation, but not for every individual investigative action.
Mandelblit announced his decision to indict Netanyahu in November 2019, and the indictment was filed in January 2020. The trial began in May of that year. Netanyahu testified from December 2024 through June this year, after which the defense called other witnesses, including former investigators.
