Netanyahu Defense Asks Court to Summon Mandelblit Weeks Before Election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defense asked the Jerusalem District Court to summon former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit as a defense witness in Netanyahu's criminal trial. The filing, signed by attorney Noa Milstein, requested testimony on October 11-12 and October 18-22, but the court has not approved the schedule. Israel's election is set for October 27, placing the last requested date five days before voting. Mandelblit approved the investigations and decided in November 2019 to indict Netanyahu in Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000; the defense said it intends to question him about authorization and handling of the investigations.