Netanyahu Trial Judges Consider Calling Attorney General for Direct Discussion

Judges hearing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial raised the possibility on November 5 of bringing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to the Jerusalem District Court for a direct discussion about the case. The proposal emerged during Thursday morning’s hearing, as the defense sought a closed-door conversation with her about matters raised during the evidentiary proceedings. Jack Chen, who represents Shaul Elovitch, asked for the discussion in connection with alleged irregularities in the investigation. Those claims were advanced by the defense. The request came against the background of former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit’s testimony about investigative actions. Judge Oded Shaham told the hearing: “We had considered such a move before.” Shaham said the panel wanted a more direct dialogue about how to proceed in light of what the court had heard. He presented the question as one of judicial discretion rather than simply formal authority. A prosecution representative objected to the proposed informal meeting and asked the defense to explain the legal basis for it. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman responded that the trial had involved many unusual things. The exchanges concerned a possible discussion with the attorney general, rather than an order already issued for her appearance. No formal decision to summon Baharav-Miara had been made at the time of the reports.