Avichai Mandelblit
The absence of Deputy State Attorney Liat Ben-Ari during the last two days of the pre-indictment hearing in favor of a family vacation certainly fits the prime minister’s narrative of a system out to get him and not giving him a fair chance.
“We have laid out very detailed evidence that contradicts the claims made in the document listing counts on which premier could be indicted,” according to attorneys for the prime minister.
The first two days of four days of hearings in the justice-ministry offices in Jerusalem will focus on Case 4000, viewed as the most serious, in which the attorney general announced his intention to indict the prime minister for bribery.
Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz cancels last-minute meeting with Likud • Likud Party accuses Blue and White of having decided to “go to elections.”
“When we are finished presenting our side, there will be no option other than to close the case,” say lawyers for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“After a three-year flood of tendentious, partial media leaks, the time has come for the public to hear everything, including my side,” says Israeli prime minister.
Mandelblit recommends rejecting a Likud petition to ban publication of leaks ahead of the September election, arguing such leaks do not constitute campaign propaganda.
Facing charges of fraud and breach of trust, Haim Katz denies any wrongdoing, saying all his official dealings were “in the interest of the public.”
Justice Ministry: Balad officials perpetrated a “systematic and meticulously planned act of fraud” during the 2013 Knesset and municipal election campaigns • Balad: “Timing of the announcement” proves political persecution.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested an extension due to the dissolution of the Knesset sending the country to elections again in September.
Despite tying Likud at 35 seats each, the poor showing of other left-wing parties, such as Labor and Meretz, meant there was no clear path forward to put together a 60-seat ruling coalition for Blue and White.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to withhold classified information from senior defense officials before he signed off on the German sale of submarines to Egypt does not warrant the reopening of Case 3000, said Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
