Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished his testimony after 98 court sessions Wednesday evening, Israeli media report. Political commentator Yaakov Bardugo used the moment to attack former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, calling him a 'chaos man' who 'tailored the indictment' against the premier.
Right-wing commentator Yaakov Bardugo launched a sharp attack on former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit Wednesday evening, immediately after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded his testimony in the corruption trial. Bardugo, quoted by Israeli media, called Mandelblit a 'chaos man' who 'tailored the indictment' against Netanyahu, declaring: 'The day the indictment was filed was the happiest day of Mandelblit's life.' The attack — the first prominent one since the testimony ended — frames the case as a personal vendetta rather than a legal process.
The prime minister's testimony ended at approximately 14:00 Wednesday after 98 court sessions spanning over 18 months. The Zioneer first reported at 09:37 Jerusalem that the defense had announced the testimony would conclude that day. By 11:53 Jerusalem, reports of Netanyahu's closing remarks — in which he called the decade-long legal saga a 'vile, false, malicious' witch hunt — were circulating. The Zioneer confirmed the conclusion at 12:00 Jerusalem. The thread evolved from a single source (defense attorney Amit Haddad) to multiple Israeli newsrooms corroborating the closure.
The case covers bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000. As The Zioneer reported on June 9, the testimony's end had been scheduled for 14:00. Earlier, on June 16, the cross-examination had been shortened on security and diplomatic grounds. The trial's next phases — defense arguments and prosecution summations — are expected in the coming weeks.
It remains unclear whether Bardugo's statement reflects broader political sentiment or signals a coordinated messaging strategy ahead of the summations. The prosecution's response to the 'tailored indictment' claim has not been reported.
6 developments
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Source and signal
- Internal intake