Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit on Sunday said that those who are attacking his handling of the public corruption cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are trying to destroy the rule of law. “Regarding the prime minister's case, I see great importance in the holding of the pre-indictment hearing and I will weigh all arguments with an open mind” made by Netanyahu's lawyers in his defense, he said. He said that, “all the decisions made until now were made only based on professional considerations.” The attorney-general said that “no one will distract” him and his staff with pressure from either political direction regarding the case. Mandelblit lashed out at those on the Right who have attacked State Attorney Shai Nitzan and lead Netanyahu case lawyer Liat Ben Ari, saying both had acted on behalf of the state in complex cases, which could be viewed as both right- and left-wing – meaning both act apolitically. He said that anyone who was guessing what his decision would be regarding indicting Netanyahu before he actually makes it (expected around December), were merely trying to maneuver politically to block the standard criminal process from going forward, In the face of this intense pressure, Mandelblit vehemently declared, “No one will scare us. No one will intimidate us.” Moreover, he said that continued attempts to delegitimize the state prosecution or the courts would, in the end, undermine Israeli national security, as it would lead to a disintegration of society's trust in the rule of law and in one another.
