America News Agency

The Likud Party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, issued a statement regarding the judicial proceedings against Netanyahu. The party claimed the case was being pursued for political purposes and called for the trial to be brought to an end.

The statement argued that Netanyahu, his wife, his sons and his close circle had been subjected to heavy pressure for years because of the judicial process. It further claimed that the process had led to five elections in Israel and that the resources spent on those elections could instead have been directed to reservists and outlying regions.

The statement alleged that former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had signed the document without seeing the evidence file and that a scanned signature had been used to submit the document on time while Netanyahu was representing Israel at the White House.

The Likud Party claimed that no action had been taken for years over public criticism directed at Netanyahu and his family, and alleged that the judicial process was intended to achieve through unlawful means a result that could not be obtained at the ballot box.

The statement called for the case to be halted immediately after Mandelblit’s testimony was completed and for the files to be closed on the grounds that they had allegedly been created unlawfully. It also called for criminal investigations into Mandelblit, Shai Nitzan, Yehudit Tirosh, Liat Ben-Ari, Roni Alsheich and other investigators involved in the inquiry.

The allegations contained in the party’s statement reflect Likud’s assessment of the judicial process.