Netanyahu and Mandelblit
Netanyahu and MandelblitAmos Ben Gershom/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's hearing process with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit began on Wednesday, a day after the Knesset elections, Kan 11 News reported.

As part of the process, the defense team has submitted its main points, with the hearing itself set to take place in about two weeks.

Sources close to Mandelblit are not expecting Netanyahu's attorneys to request a postponement of the hearing and suggest that even if such a request is made due to the political situation, it will be rejected.

Attorney Ram Caspi joined Netanyahu's defense team on Wednesday as another advisor. At present, there is no discussion with the prosecutor's office about a deal in the cases linked to the Prime Minister.

Mandelblit in June decided not to postpone Netanyahu’s pre-indictment hearing in the cases against him for a second time, having already postponed the hearing once.

In February, Mandelblit announced his intention pending the hearing to indict Netanyahu in three separate cases on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for allegedly trading lucrative official favors for gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — the first time a sitting prime minister would face criminal charges.

Netanyahu has denied all the charges and called the investigations a “witch hunt” by the political left and the media.