State Attorney Office Declares AG Baharav-Miara Will Skip Netanyahu Trial
The State Attorney's Office announced that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will not personally attend Netanyahu's trial hearings, despite suggestions from the judges, citing procedural impropriety.
The State Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will not personally appear at the hearings in the corruption trials involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite a suggestion from the judges.
During the court session, State Attorney's Office representative Adv. Yehudit Tirosh addressed the panel: "The prosecutors are authorized by me and loyal to me. A senior team is present here, regularly conveying what is happening in the courtroom and authorized to pass messages, which are always carefully considered. The Deputy State Attorney is also here, and we are ready to listen to the court. A situation where the Attorney General herself appears in the courtroom is, in our view, an incorrect procedure."
Netanyahu's defense attorney, Adv. Amit Hadad, responded to the announcement: "If the Attorney General does not want to come here, she can certainly be summoned. I think the authority definitely exists. The Supreme Court recently summoned the State Attorney to a hearing. In this case, matters no less important have been raised, and it is proper and fitting that she should arrive - but I do not intend to comment further."
The judges' proposal followed a request by defense attorneys representing Shaul Elovitch, though the panel did not initially specify why they wished to summon the Attorney General. However, Judge Oded Shaham explained that the initiative stemmed from the understanding that the Attorney General ultimately bears responsibility for managing the proceedings.
Addressing the request by Elovitch's defense, Judge Shaham stated: "It is not certain that a formal motion is needed if we thought we should do it ourselves. Confer among yourselves without formal requests. I am neither accepting nor rejecting the motion." Presiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman added, "There are many things in this trial that are unusual."
Judge Shaham noted that if the court wishes to conduct a meaningful dialogue, it must engage directly with the head of the prosecution. The State Attorney's Office maintained that its representatives act as emissaries for the Attorney General, ensuring all judicial queries are promptly relayed, though they agreed to review the judges' stance and provide a formal response.
