The cross-examination of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a dramatic peak in the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday,
exposing an intricate web of coordination between senior law enforcement officials and prominent anti-Netanyahu journalists.
4+The testimony centered on the methods utilized to extract unauthorized information from within the Prime Minister’s circle, primarily through the unlawful handling of Prime Minister’s Office drivers as investigative informants.
During the hearing, defense attorney Amit Hadad challenged Mandelblit on the legality of these operations: “Did you know that Ben Caspit’s sources were the prime minister’s drivers, and did you know that the prime minister’s drivers were handing over information they were legally bound to keep secret?” Mandelblit responded: “At some point I became aware of it, at a later stage. I do not remember at that specific stage exactly where the sources came from.”
4+Hadad continued: “You heard that the prime minister’s drivers were handing over information to journalists in violation of the law. Did you act in this regard to prevent it?” “I did not act in this regard,” Mandelblit conceded under oath. “I am telling you I do not remember exactly when it came up.” Hadad pushed further: “This is a criminal offense, far more severe in my opinion than fraud and breach of trust.” To which Mandelblit offered: “I do not know.”
The testimony illustrated how the top legal authority in Israel chose to disregard serious offenses occurring within the prime minister’s security perimeter when the illegally extracted leaks served the operational objectives of the prosecution.
4+The cross-examination quickly escalated into a broader loss of institutional control over the investigative apparatus, culminating in Mandelblit’s astonishing admission about journalist Ben Caspit. Describing the dynamic between the reporter and the investigative branches, Mandelblit testified: “I had a feeling that instead of the police investigating, he was running the police.”
The Conduct Didn’t End with Ben Caspit
The testimony revealed that an external journalist, driven by a transparent personal agenda, was perceived by the Attorney General himself as effectively steering the Israel Police, while law enforcement leadership let the process continue without intervention.
The revelations extended beyond Caspit to include choreographed media engagements with other prominent journalists. In 2019, Channel 12 senior political analyst Dana Weiss interviewed Mandelblit on a public sidewalk, in an exchange presented to television viewers as an entirely spontaneous encounter. Under oath, Mandelblit admitted the exchange was completely fabricated: “The meeting with Dana Weiss was not coincidental. The spokesperson proposed it. He suggested that we walk in the street and pretend to say hello. That is what he proposed, and I accepted.”
4+The admission confirmed that the Attorney General and a senior television correspondent deceived the public, staging an ostensibly accidental confrontation to create the impression of unscripted journalistic scrutiny.
And It Doesn’t End There
Defense counsel Amit Hadad then pressed Mandelblit on the editorial control exercised over the broadcast: “Is it true that you received the interview and the script, and you could alter it, edit it, and treat it like clay in the potter’s hands?” Mandelblit responded: “That could be.”
While Dana Weiss issued a public denial after the hearing, rejecting the claim about pre-approved scripts, her statement directly contradicts Mandelblit’s sworn courtroom testimony.
So Who’s Lying?
The compounding admissions paint a damning picture of the investigative apparatus: a prominent journalist dictating police maneuvers, a national television anchor participating in staged street performances, and an Attorney General presiding over leaks and scripted media appearances—hallmarks of a coordinated political offensive rather than an objective criminal inquiry.
4+This isn’t what an investigation looks like. This is what targeted sabotage backed by the Israeli media looks like.