State Attorney Derides Claims of Anti-Netanyahu Coup

Outgoing State Attorney Shai Nitzan derided allegations that he has been leading a “witch hunt” to oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from office, as the prime minister and his allies have said.

“The claims of a coup are ridiculous,” Nitzan was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel on Sunday. “I’ve dedicated over half my life to public service. Over the past decades, there has been no state attorney like me that represented the state’s position [so faithfully].

“The criticism directed against us is designed to destroy the system at its foundations,” he charged during a speech at a conference hosted by the right-wing Makor Rishon newspaper.

“This isn’t constructive criticism, this is criticism that aims to destroy.”

Nitzan was publicly accused by PM Netanyahu of being the evil mastermind behind Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s decision to indict him on corruption charges. Netanyahu has maintained throughout many months of investigation that he is innocent of any wrongdoing and that the accusations are politically motivated.

Mandelblit and Nitzan, for their part, insist that their only motive is to determine the truth and see justice done.