Netanyahu Trial: Secret Tapes of Political Talks Spark Outrage
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
During Benjamin Netanyahu's trial, testimony revealed a secret wiretap on Natan Eshel yielded politically sensitive conversations that were abruptly halted. Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit testified he demanded the wiretap's immediate cessation upon learning of it, though the decision was undocumented. The defense argued the lack of documentation obscures who authorized the surveillance and its removal, calling it an "attack on democracy."
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A secret wiretap on Natan Eshel yielded politically sensitive conversations, according to testimony in Netanyahu's trial.
- Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit demanded the wiretap's immediate halt upon learning of it.
- The decision to dismantle the wiretap was reportedly an "urgent order from above" and was undocumented.
- The defense lawyer called the operation "an attack on democracy" due to its lack of authorization and documentation.
- Testimony indicated the wiretap captured discussions about the Public Broadcasting Corporation and related protests.
The defense in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial presented testimony suggesting that a secret wiretap on Natan Eshel, a close associate, yielded conversations that raised "real suspicion." However, the surveillance was abruptly halted.
During the sixth day of testimony from former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, confronted Mandelblit with statements from former National Fraud Unit head Koresh Barnor. Barnor testified that the wiretap produced significant conversations but was dismantled by an "urgent order from above." Mandelblit stated he was angered upon learning of the operation and demanded its immediate cessation, noting that the decision was never officially documented.
Barnor's testimony, presented in court, indicated that he believed the wiretap should have remained active due to the "significant results" being gathered. He recounted receiving the order to dismantle the operation without a clear explanation, prompting Judge Moshe Bar-Am to question the rationale behind such a decision, especially when the head of the investigating unit lacked details.
Lawyer Haddad pressed Mandelblit to confirm if he ordered the wiretap's removal. Mandelblit reiterated that the operation was never brought to his prior approval and that he demanded its halt once he became aware of it. He recalled a discussion with the former head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department, Meni Yitzhaki, where he unequivocally stated that such actions required his prior approval and must be stopped immediately.
Further testimony from police investigator Shmuel Sharvit revealed that the wiretap captured conversations of a "clearly political and public nature" concerning the Public Broadcasting Corporation, including discussions about its closure and related protests. Haddad strongly criticized this, calling it "an attack on democracy" and questioning the steps taken by law enforcement after the operation was exposed. Mandelblit confirmed that no official record or memo was made of the decision to stop the wiretap, which Haddad argued created deliberate ambiguity regarding who authorized the initial surveillance and its subsequent removal.
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