Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had a scathing response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request that the hearing in his criminal cases be broadcast live, calling the idea “futile.” He was right in taking Netanyahu’s request as little more than a message of defiance for the media's benefit. Putting that aside, however, it could be in the attorney general’s interest to conduct the legal process against the prime minister with maximum transparency.

Netanyahu explained his reasoning in a video posted as he made his request. “After three years of a deluge of biased, partial leaks, the time has come for the public to hear everything, including my side, in a complete and full manner. … Not only do I have nothing to hide, I want everything to be heard,” he said, adding that a live broadcast was “how we can ensure justice and truth.”

The attorney general’s sharp response only served Netanyahu’s interests. It provided backing to his claim that he is being subjected to a kangaroo court as part of a larger effort to remove him from power. “The attorney general’s decision is disappointing,” his office responded, going on to accuse the attorney general’s office of being behind hundreds of leaks. “All of this produces a field trial for the prime minister, which is unbearable in democracy, and so it was appropriate to remedy the situation by opening the doors of the hearing to the general public," added Netanyahu’s office.

Anyone who makes light of these feelings fails to understand their intensity. As the legal proceedings against Netanyahu gain steam and he is indicted, the Likud and the right will only argue more vociferously that the prime minister is the victim of a political hit job and a legal putsch.