Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deep appreciation for the tremendous support many Israeli citizens have voiced since Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his decision to indict him.
In a recorded statement Netanyahu also urged his supporters “to act responsibly within the limitation of the law, without militancy and without violence,” in light of concerns about Israel possibly plummeting – even though unlikely – into a “civil war.” The Israeli Prime Minister said “Thank you very much, citizens of Israel. Thank you very much for your tremendous support. You have warmed my heart. You really have really warmed my heart. I especially want to thank the masses who came to Tel Aviv from all parts of the country, [those who] came to Tel Aviv to demonstrate for Justice, Truth, and Democracy. I know that media outlets will always take single [violent] cases out of the thousands [non-violent] to delegitimize you, in sharp contrast to their complete disregard of cases far more severe that occur in the [political] left protests. Still, I have one request: It’s important to act responsibly within the limitation of the law, without militancy and without violence. We respect the law, and we respect the courts. And I am sure that both the justice and truth will come to light. ”
Nevertheless, Netanyahu insisted that “Difficult questions arose in the conduct of my investigations and of others. Questions that raise suspicion for criminal conduct, for actions that have no place in a democratic state, and these questions need to be comprehensively looked into. [We must] Fix what needs to be fixed, because that is the essence of democracy. Because in democracy no one is above the law, no one is immune from criticism, from scrutiny or from investigation. The cohesion you [the people] demonstrate in this and other matters is important to the State of Israel and is important to me. It gives me the power to continue to lead you, in order to safeguard the land of Israel and the security of all Israeli citizens without exception and to exercise historical opportunities that we could not dreamed of, first and foremost the application of [Israeli] sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. I really appreciate your support. I thank you. I love you.”