Netanyahu Trial Sees Heated Exchange Between Defense and Prosecution

A loud confrontation erupted during the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between defense attorney Amit Haddad and prosecutor Yonatan Tadmor. The clash occurred when Tadmor made a remark during the questioning of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Haddad, Netanyahu's lawyer, raised his voice, shouting "Don't interrupt me! I'm speaking!" and later accused the prosecution of allowing interruptions. The judge intervened, urging Haddad to calm down and present his question objectively.

A subsequent legal dispute arose concerning the investigation of Ari Harow and discussions about him becoming a state witness. Haddad presented evidence suggesting early contacts regarding Harow's potential state witness status, even before investigators began questioning him. Prosecutor Gildin objected to this line of questioning, leading to Mandelblit being asked to leave the courtroom.

A sharp legal debate followed regarding whether the former Attorney General could be questioned on every aspect of police actions in the field. The prosecution argued that Mandelblit's approval of an investigation did not obligate him to know or be responsible for every technical detail carried out by investigators. They contended that any procedural flaws should be raised with the court, not through unlimited questioning of Mandelblit.

Judge Moshe Bar-Am clarified that while minor procedural details might not be relevant, actions exceeding the scope of the Attorney General's approval could be pertinent to the trial. He stated that if investigators acted beyond their authorized scope, it would be directly relevant. Prosecutor Gildin agreed in principle, acknowledging that deviations from approved investigation topics could be relevant, but sought to limit questions to the approvals themselves rather than every minor investigative action.