In a courtroom in Jerusalem, the proceedings in Netanyahu's trials are continuing. As time passes, as the list of witnesses lengthens, it becomes more and more clear that the entire case against Netanyahu is an embarrassment, a failure or a catastrophe — however you want to call it.
Two senior witnesses for the prosecution last week were almost declared "hostile witnesses," when they revealed the facts of their interrogation and how their testimony was extracted using unusual methods, and how none of the investigators seems to have actually heard what they had to say.
One of the witnesses — who served and continues to serve as a senior executive in the Ministry of Communication, and another witnesses who was in the period under investigation the chair of the Council of Cable and Satellites (which is the government body that actually had to approve the merger of Bezeq and YES which was the supposed bribe that Netanyahu had given), revealed the way their interrogation was conducted including deliberately misleading them and it being obvious that they investigators had decided in advance on their investigative target (Netanyahu's head) — all this before they even heard what they had to say.
The senior executive, Maimon Shamila, said, "I felt like I was the worst criminal. They brought me in for 11 hours, a very uncomfortable feeling. This is not the way to question witnesses. I did not have my cell phone. I felt that they misled me in the interrogation. I felt frustrated. They led me on improperly. This made me indignant and angry. I considered sending this conduct as a report to the Attorney General..."
Remember that this is a witness, not a suspect, a witness who should be treated decently and not interrogated like an underworld gang leader.
Also the former chair of the Council of Cable and Satellites said in court, "My interrogation was amateurish, sloppy and leading, while trying to cause me fear and under inhuman conditions that should worry every Israel citizen. This is bias in the interrogation and it is all documented, that I asked to look at documents [during the interrogation] and encountered absolute refusal."
These testimonies should concern every Israeli citizen, who still thinks that there is a system of law and justice that seeks to uncover the real truth and not a political organization that decided to force a change in government in the State of Israel and actually succeeded, at least for a year-and-a-half.
It is no wonder that the prosecution in court tried to declare those witness as "hostile witnesses" (and was refused by the Court), and later the Chief of Police of those day (now a civilian) recommended that they reach a plea bargain an halt the trials, before more of these outrageous things will be revealed, that show the State Prosecutor in a horrible light.
Amit Segal, a political commentator, writing about what seems to be shaping up as one of the biggest failures of th Israeli justice system, "... Since the start of the political crisis in Israel almost exactly four years ago, and until the results of the most recent election were announced, the only target of the opposition was Benjamin Netanyahu, to prevent him from forming a government while he was under accusations of crime. Lapid and Gans were willing to make a government with the chareidim, or with Likud or with Shas, and in essence with anyone who is not Benjamin Netanyahu."
