Ex-AG Mandelblit Continues Testimony in Netanyahu Trial

The testimony of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is set to resume on Monday at the Jerusalem District Court, seven years after he announced the indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the "Cases of the Thousand." The first day of testimony, held Sunday, largely focused on disputes over investigation approvals, a key area the defense intends to explore.

Mandelblit's testimony is considered unusual as he is a prosecution witness in a case he personally managed. While the prosecution did not object to his summons due to the specific circumstances surrounding investigation approvals, they are limiting the scope of discussion to topics they deem relevant. The defense had requested seven days of testimony, but much of the debate over approvals was covered on the first day, leaving questions about what further issues the defense will raise.

The defense claims the police conducted investigative actions and pursued lines of inquiry without the Attorney General's approval. Mandelblit acknowledged that some actions were not brought to his attention and that he opposed others upon learning of them. However, he rejected the assertion that he did not approve the investigation into suspicions against Netanyahu, distinguishing between actions within an approved investigation and the exploration of new leads or suspicions. He stated that while not every single action requires explicit approval, he requested that major actions be routed through him, and that new suspicions necessitate a fresh request for approval.

He also testified that he approved the police's investigation into the receipt of gifts from businessmen, which became Case 1000, contradicting the defense's claims. Regarding state witness Nir Hefetz, a former media advisor to Netanyahu, Mandelblit stated that "improper things were done concerning state witnesses," though he stopped short of calling them illegal. He described a specific investigative tactic used against Hefetz, involving interrogating a close associate to pressure Hefetz with personal information, as "improper and incorrect," adding that he was unaware of the full extent of the pressure tactics at the time.

Further testimony revealed that police conducted wiretapping on Natan Eshel, a close associate of Netanyahu, as part of Case 2000, without Mandelblit's prior knowledge. Upon discovering the operation, he ordered it stopped, calling it a "serious action that I did not approve in hindsight." He explained that he found the operation particularly sensitive due to Eshel's proximity to the Prime Minister and demanded its cessation unless Eshel was personally linked to the offenses. The wiretap on Eshel was reportedly approved by court order in 2017 and ceased within a month.