Netanyahu Slams 'Attack on Democracy' Following Mandelblit's Testimony
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fiercely criticized former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's testimony in his trial, calling the investigations an "attack on democracy." Netanyahu claimed the probes were illegal and politically motivated to oust him from power. He also detailed the personal suffering he and his associates endured over a decade due to the legal proceedings.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the investigations against him an "attack on democracy."
- Netanyahu claimed the probes were illegal and politically motivated to remove him from power.
- He accused former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit of participating in a "political witch hunt."
- The Prime Minister detailed the personal suffering of himself, his family, and associates over ten years.
- Netanyahu stated that investigators had "no boundaries" in their actions.
- He believes the actions denied the public its right to choose its leader.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sharp attack on Wednesday following testimony given by former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in his ongoing trial. Speaking on Galei Israel radio, Netanyahu claimed that the investigations against him were conducted illegally and were intended to remove him from power.
"I think it is clear to everyone today that this was a political witch hunt that broke all boundaries, with offenses, illegal and unapproved investigations, witness coercion, and falsification of protocols," Netanyahu stated. He accused investigators of having a clear political objective to harm the right-wing government after it could not be replaced through elections.
"Here, everything was permissible to bring down a strong prime minister from the right. That's what they wanted, to bring down the right. And since they couldn't do it in elections, they decided to use the investigation mechanism," he alleged. Netanyahu also discussed the personal price he, his family, and his associates have paid over the years due to the investigations and legal proceedings.
"Not only did they harm my civil rights, not only did they bring my family and me to ten years of suffering, but also everyone around me, all my assistants without exception. They ruined people's lives, broke up families, they had no boundaries," he said. Netanyahu further characterized the investigators' conduct as an "attack on democracy," asserting that it aimed to deny the public its right to choose its leader, which he described as the essence of democracy.
