Mandelblit Continues Testimony in Netanyahu Trial, Addresses Allegations of Withheld Information

The evidentiary stage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial continued Monday at the Jerusalem District Court, marking the second day of testimony from former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Mandelblit addressed claims that information was deliberately withheld from him during the investigations, stating, "I do not know of a situation where things were hidden from me." He expressed surprise if this were proven true, adding, "I have full confidence in the prosecution, including the people sitting here." Attorney Amit Haddad suggested to Mandelblit, "I think they set a trap for you, things that were not revealed to you." Mandelblit responded, "You are claiming that the prosecution deliberately hid things from me. The prosecution accompanied these cases." Haddad also questioned Mandelblit about whether he knew that journalists Gidi Weitz and Raviv Drucker were considered "great enemies" of the prime minister, to which Mandelblit replied, "It's possible." When Haddad stated, "No one told you that they were looking for materials against the prime minister," Mandelblit responded, "If that was done, it is serious."

Mandelblit also commented on media coverage during the proceedings, after a Channel 14 reporter asked if he wanted to "apologize to the people of Israel for the madness." The judge advised him to try and ignore such remarks.