In an extensive interview on Tuesday with Channel 14’s “Noon News,” hosted by Ido Tauber, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed dramatic revelations emerging from his ongoing legal proceedings and the testimony of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Speaking ahead of a scheduled visit to Israel’s northern border, the Prime Minister also issued stark warnings to Iran and Hezbollah, highlighted his strategic coordination with U.S. President Donald Trump, and outlined his government’s plan for ultra-Orthodox military conscription.
Asked about Mandelblit’s cross-examination in court—where the former Attorney General acknowledged not recalling whether he explicitly authorized the bribery charge in Case 4000 and confirmed signing formal documents via a digital signature without reading the full indictment—Netanyahu stated:
“I am not surprised. At the beginning of these investigations, I stated: there will be nothing because there was nothing. Indeed, there was nothing on my end—everything has now been fully clarified. What did exist, however, was witness extortion, ruining families, and breaking legal protocols. Now it emerges that the Attorney General did not even read the indictment, signing it with a scanned computer stamp.”
Netanyahu characterized the prosecution’s conduct as an anti-democratic campaign: “It turns out this was a political witch hunt. They wanted to protect ‘democracy’ by destroying democracy—toppling an elected prime minister through improper means and excessive authority. This trial should never have commenced, and it should have been terminated long ago.”
The Prime Minister also attacked legislative efforts advanced by opposition figures, notably Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman: “Now that their trial has fallen apart, Lieberman and his partners want to empower the Attorney General to disqualify candidates from running for prime minister. She could submit a baseless, tailored, and fabricated indictment, just as they did here. That is an attempt to steal the election.”
1+Turning to security developments, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel remains vigilant across all sectors: “I am departing right now for the northern border. I state very clearly to both Iran and Hezbollah: do not dare attack us, because our response will be immense.”
The Prime Minister reiterated the strategic importance of his alliance with Washington following Donald Trump’s public endorsement of his candidacy: “President Trump stated that the Iranian threat must be eliminated once and for all, and that this can only be achieved through a partnership between him and me. He called on Israeli citizens to vote for me because nobody else can or will do this work with him.”
1+Netanyahu added: “Iran is already attempting to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program. Therefore, I have issued a directive to bring down the terror regime in Iran. That is the only way to ensure peace, tranquility, and the eternal security of the Jewish state. The leaders who will finish this job are Donald Trump and myself.”
Addressing the domestic dispute regarding ultra-Orthodox IDF conscription, Netanyahu detailed his administration’s target: “I stated directly to the Haredi public: those who do not study Torah must enlist in the military. We are committed to recruiting 23,000 Haredim over three years. While the left brought bills that recruit only 5,000 while offering full exemptions behind closed doors if they help topple me, we are providing a genuine, enforceable solution.”