What the judges will ask of Baharav-Miara

In depth

The judges in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial are considering summoning Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to a hearing on the case. Judge Oded Shaham said the panel considered such a move even before a request was filed, adding: "It is not certain a request is needed, we thought we should do it ourselves." Judge Shaham also said: "The defense may have broken down an open door."

Netanyahu's and Shaul Elovitch's lawyers requested that Baharav-Miara be summoned to a hearing on the case, following the testimony of former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit in Case 4000 and against the backdrop of their claims of irregularities that emerged during the evidentiary proceedings. Attorney Jack Chen, Elovitch's lawyer, proposed holding the hearing behind closed doors. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman said: "There are many unusual things in this case."

A prosecution representative opposed the move and noted its unusual nature. The judges said the prosecution would have to update whether Baharav-Miara would agree to attend the proposed hearing. Knesset Member Moshe Saada claimed that the judges' intention to consider summoning her indicates their desire to bring the trial to an end without a verdict.