Judge Intervenes in Heated Exchange During Former AG Mandelblit's Testimony

A heated exchange erupted in the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday during the testimony of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, questioned how police handled investigation approvals for the prime minister and why the prosecution resisted providing related documents to the defense. The argument between Haddad and prosecutor Liat Tirosh escalated, prompting Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman to intervene, calling out "Advocate Tirosh!".

Haddad focused on the indictment filed in January 2020 and the defense's subsequent requests for documents concerning investigation approvals. He presented that at the time, it was apparent that certain investigative actions were carried out without the Attorney General's approval. Mandelblit confirmed that some actions were taken without his authorization. Haddad further questioned Mandelblit about the prosecution's opposition to releasing these approvals to the defense, which Mandelblit acknowledged he was aware of.

Mandelblit initially struggled to clarify his position, attempting to distinguish between approvals for opening investigations and actions taken during the investigations. Haddad pressed him on whether the representation that approvals were legally granted was made with his knowledge, to which Mandelblit initially answered yes, then sought to correct himself. Tirosh attempted to interject, leading to further objections from Haddad and another intervention from Judge Friedman-Feldman.

Following the judge's intervention, Mandelblit was allowed to clarify his testimony, explaining he understood the questions initially to refer to approvals for initiating probes, while subsequent investigative actions were a separate matter. Judge Moshe Bar-Am also intervened to refine the central dispute, asking if an investigation was approved for one matter but then conducted concerning another, a point Mandelblit agreed was accurate.

Mandelblit is testifying as a key defense witness, seven years after indicting Netanyahu in the "Case 1000" affair. The defense's central claim is that critical investigative actions against the prime minister were conducted before receiving official approval from the Attorney General, or that the police exceeded authorized limits. Haddad and fellow lawyer Noa Milstein are expected to question Mandelblit over seven non-consecutive days of hearings.