‘Political persecution’: Netanyahu slams AG over indictment of aides

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the State Attorney’s Office of ongoing “political persecution” against him for having indicted two aides of his yesterday on charges of witness intimidation, as well as for the indictments against him personally.

Speaking in the Tel Aviv District Court on the ninth day of his testimony in his criminal trial, Netanyahu once again lambastes the Israeli media for what he argues is its left-wing bias, and says criminal investigations were opened against him for trying to bring “diversity” to the Israeli media landscape.

“I wanted to diversify the media, to balance it, not to take control of it, and then they opened investigations against me. We’re talking about political persecution that continues until today, including yesterday — they accuse two of my spokespeople who have done nothing wrong,” fumes Netanyahu.

Ofer Golan and Jonatan Urich who both currently serve as media advisers and strategists to Netanyahu, were indicted yesterday on charges of witness intimidation for having in 2019 sent a car with a loudspeaker to the home of state witness Shlomo Filber to play messages telling him to “tell the truth” and accusing him of lying.

A third man, a former Netanyahu aide, is also indicted.