Netanyahu's Lawyer Presents Video of Protest Activist in AG's Trial
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial, his attorney Amit Haddad presented a 2016 video of activist Eldad Yaniv, alleging police frustration and pressure on then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Mandelblit confirmed experiencing pressure but denied specific knowledge of police involvement. The defense argues this shows improper influence on the investigation's opening, a central point in their case.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Netanyahu's lawyer presented a 2016 video of Eldad Yaniv alleging police pressure on AG Mandelblit.
- Mandelblit confirmed pressure but denied specific knowledge of police involvement in briefings.
- The defense claims police briefed journalists and activists to influence Mandelblit.
- Yaniv's video stated attempts were made to "turn the table" on Mandelblit.
- The defense argues public pressure, not evidence, led to the investigation's opening.
During the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attorney Amit Haddad, representing Netanyahu, presented a November 2016 video of protest activist Eldad Yaniv. In the video, Yaniv allegedly described frustration among police officials over then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's refusal to approve progress in investigations. Haddad argued that police officials briefed journalists and protest activists to pressure Mandelblit.
Mandelblit, testifying in court, confirmed he remembers pressure being applied to him during that period but stated he was unaware of the specific claims regarding police involvement. Haddad questioned Mandelblit about the extent of pressure from the police and media to open a criminal investigation against Netanyahu in late 2016, to which Mandelblit responded, "I remember there was pressure."
Haddad claimed the pressure was intense and linked it to burgeoning protests against the Attorney General at the time. He suggested that investigators not only leaked information to journalists but also directly to key activists leading protests against Mandelblit and Netanyahu, citing Yaniv's statement in the video, "They tried to turn the table on Mandelblit, and it didn't help."
Prosecutors objected to some questions, leading to a debate about confronting Mandelblit with the video's content. Judge Moshe Bar-Am intervened, suggesting the focus remain on what Mandelblit personally knew. Mandelblit acknowledged knowing Yaniv and that Yaniv was a protest leader against him, but when asked if he knew Yaniv was briefing activists, he replied Yaniv had acted against him previously.
Haddad proposed a polygraph test for Mandelblit to verify claims about public protests influencing his decision-making. The defense's core argument is that improper political, public, and media pressure swayed the Attorney General's judgment. Mandelblit's admission of significant pressure and police frustration strengthens the defense's claim that the decision to open the "Cases of the Thousand" investigation was influenced by public sentiment rather than purely evidentiary considerations, a key element in their "defense from justice" argument.
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