Israel's Attorney General Ordered to Appear in Netanyahu Trial

Good Morning, Israel · Saturday, November 14, 2026 · 8:04

Good Morning, Israel · Episode 48

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on Spotify

1. Israel's Attorney General Ordered to Appear in Netanyahu Trial
2. Mossad Chief Met CIA Director in US Amid Iran Tensions
3. Police Deploy Snipers in Bedouin City to Combat Gun Violence
4. France Criticizes Israel's Ban on Far-Left Leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon
5. Israel's Supreme Court Recognizes Conversions for Immigration Law
6. Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Inciting Anti-Arab Campaign

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• Overcast
• Pocket Casts
• Castro
• Deezer
• RSS feed

Maya

Israel's spy chief flew to Washington to talk about Iran, and the man trying to form Israel's next government apparently wasn't told.

Daniel

And back in Israel, the army chief is reportedly the lone senior voice against a strike.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Saturday, November fourteenth. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

So, Washington. Who met whom?

Daniel

Mossad Director Roman Gofman, the head of Israel's foreign intelligence agency, met C I A Director John Ratcliffe on Friday. The subject was Iran.

Maya

And he's not done yet.

Daniel

No. A meeting is planned with Steve Witkoff, the White House envoy who's been central to Washington's Middle East diplomacy.

Maya

Yesterday we talked about the mixed signals out of Washington, generals preparing and the President saying no new campaign. Is this Israel trying to get a straight answer?

Daniel

That's one way to read it. Going straight to the C I A and the White House envoy puts Israel's case in the rooms where those signals come from.

Maya

Now the part that's making noise in Israel. Gadi Eisenkot.

Daniel

Right. According to reports, the trip wasn't disclosed to Eisenkot, the former I D F chief who holds the mandate to form a government.

Maya

The man who might be Prime Minister in a few weeks.

Daniel

Exactly. And he and his party have been skeptical about an immediate strike on Iran. So there's a gap between the caretaker government acting and the man who could inherit the consequences.

Maya

And inside the security establishment?

Daniel

This is the striking bit. I D F Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is reportedly the only senior security official opposing a strike.

Maya

Who's on the other side?

Daniel

According to the reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gofman, and the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, all favor it.

Maya

So the army chief, who would actually run an operation, is the one hesitating.

Daniel

Reportedly, yes. That matters, because his professional judgment carries real weight in a decision like this.

Maya

Meanwhile, ships.

Daniel

The U S Navy's Fifth Fleet, which covers the Gulf region, visited Israel this week. And Iran reportedly launched drones toward Bahrain, where that fleet is based.

Maya

So not exactly a quiet backdrop.

Daniel

No. Israel is weighing its options while Iran is reportedly sending drones at a U S ally.

Maya

Staying with Eisenkot, he went after Netanyahu hard on Friday.

Daniel

He did. Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu of fueling what he called a violent and racist campaign against Arab citizens of Israel.

Maya

This goes back to the Knesset swearing-in.

Daniel

Right. We told you Wednesday that Netanyahu warned against bringing Arab parties into government. Eisenkot says the broader delegitimization of Arab Israelis has gone too far.

Maya

And his plan?

Daniel

He vowed to pursue what he calls an emergency government. And he wants strict oversight of Netanyahu's interim government on security, especially anything involving Iran.

Maya

Which ties neatly to the Mossad trip he wasn't told about.

Daniel

Exactly. There's pressure inside his own camp too. Family concerns were raised to his party member Elyasaf Peretz about possible Arab coalition partners.

Maya

And Eisenkot's answer?

Daniel

He says he has full confidence in Peretz.

Maya

Now to Rahat, and a pretty drastic step by police.

Daniel

Rahat is a Bedouin city in Israel's south, in the Negev desert. Israel Police have deployed snipers there.

Maya

Snipers, inside an Israeli city.

Daniel

After a month of escalating gun violence and weapons caches. Mayor Talal al-Kernawi pleaded for help. He pointed to two recent murders and continuous gunfire endangering residents.

Maya

Is it working?

Daniel

Reportedly the shootings have dropped since police moved in, with a helicopter as well. But local sources call it a temporary fix.

Maya

Because the problem's bigger than one city.

Daniel

Much bigger. Homicides in Israel's Arab community have doubled since twenty twenty-three. Crime organizations are a huge part of that, which is why we talked about Israel's new organized crime law on Thursday.

Maya

To the courtroom. We told you yesterday the Attorney General was summoned in Netanyahu's trial. What's new?

Daniel

The details. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara's first response was that her team could handle it. The judges overrode that. They want her there in person on Wednesday, November eighteenth.

Maya

So no sending a deputy.

Daniel

No. They want a direct discussion on the proceedings. It's an unprecedented summons.

Maya

And what's behind it?

Daniel

It may reflect the judges' concerns over the bribery charge in Case four thousand, and over how the prosecution handled evidence, including testimony from former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

Maya

Netanyahu, of course, denies all the charges.

Daniel

He does.

Maya

To France, which is unhappy with Israel this time.

Daniel

Israel banned French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and Mathilde Panot, a leader of his far-left party, from entering the country.

Maya

On what grounds?

Daniel

Israel cited the party's anti-Israel stance and its leaders' statements, including accusations Israel describes as blood libels. And Melenchon called for escorting flotillas trying to sail to Gaza.

Maya

So, a politician who wanted to help boats break Israel's naval blockade of Hamas-run Gaza.

Daniel

Right. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the ban barbaric, and said it serves people exploiting the conflict. Melenchon said he regrets it.

Maya

And Israel's point?

Daniel

That no country has to open its doors to people campaigning against it. And remember, France barred an Israeli official just this week, which Israel called politically motivated.

Maya

Now a ruling that matters to Jews around the world.

Daniel

Israel's Supreme Court ruled that conversions by a private Orthodox rabbinical court called Ahvat Hager will be recognized for immigration under the Law of Return.

Maya

The law that gives Jews, including converts, the right to move to Israel and become citizens.

Daniel

Exactly. It was unanimous, Court President Yitzhak Amit and Justices Yael Vilner and Khalid Kebub. They rejected an appeal by the Population and Immigration Authority.

Maya

Their reasoning?

Daniel

That Ahvat Hager is a serious Orthodox court, comparable to conversion networks already recognized. And they stressed welcoming converts, citing traditional Jewish sources.

Maya

Quick round. Back to Gaza and Nasser Hospital.

Daniel

More details on the strike against Hamas commander Mohammed Abu Ismail, head of the Khan Younis brigade. According to Israel, he was at a Hamas command post on the hospital's third floor, believed critically wounded.

Maya

And Israel says it gave notice.

Daniel

It says it warned Hamas to stop military activity in the hospital before the strike. The I D F also reports eliminating two other Hamas commanders in recent strikes.

Maya

Something sweeter. Kiwis.

Daniel

Israel's kiwi harvest is expected to jump twenty percent, to twelve thousand tons, thanks to maturing orchards and good weather.

Maya

Despite the war in the north.

Daniel

Right. Some orchards in the Galilee and the Golan Heights were damaged, but farmers kept production going. The harvest runs until December.

Maya

And twelve thousand tons is about what Israelis eat in a year.

Daniel

Exactly that. Which is a tidy bit of planning.

Maya

And one more. Captain Yonatan Ben Hamo lost a leg fighting in Gaza three years ago.

Daniel

He and his wife Oriya just welcomed their first child, a daughter, at Shamir Medical Center in central Israel.

Maya

What did he say?

Daniel

He called the birth our victory. And he said, we are here to stay.

Maya

That's the show. Today and tomorrow, watch for word from Mossad chief Gofman's planned meeting with White House envoy Steve Witkoff.

Daniel

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Maya

See you tomorrow morning.