Netanyahu Corruption Trial Resumes in Jerusalem District Court
The corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumes in Jerusalem following the summer recess. Judges have ordered the schedule to accelerate to five hearings per week after the upcoming holidays.
The corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumes on Sunday at the Jerusalem District Court following the end of the judicial summer recess. The upcoming hearing will address technical matters regarding the defense's case, after which the court will continue hearing defense witnesses.
Accelerated Trial Schedule
Following the autumn holidays, the judges have ruled that the trial's pace will accelerate to five hearings per week, despite objections from the defense team. This decision is driven by the upcoming retirement of Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, leaving her a two-year window to draft the final verdict. Previously, hearings were held four times a week.
Politician Zeev Elkin is expected to testify on Monday, followed by Chief Superintendent Shimon Sharvit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Netanyahu Concludes Testimony
Benjamin Netanyahu completed his testimony approximately two months ago in the cases where he faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Since then, the judges noted that his testimony did not alter their view regarding the difficulties in establishing the bribery charge.
During the final pre-recess hearings, Netanyahu's defense attorney, Amit Haddad, raised concerns over how the evidence was being perceived:
"The difficulty is that there is something in your honors' judicial memory where every time a witness says 'A' and the Prime Minister says the opposite, it is claimed that the Prime Minister contradicts himself, that all witnesses lie, and only he tells the truth. On the contrary, all witnesses agreed with what the Prime Minister said once the facts were presented to them. Damage has been caused to him."
In response, Judge Friedman-Feldman clarified that the defense's objections are fully documented in the protocol and their claims remain standing. Judge Moshe Bar-Am supported her, stating that the defense's assumption was incorrect and no such negative impression had been formed.
Attorney Haddad then addressed Case 4000, in which Netanyahu is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust alongside Bezeq and Walla owners Shaul and Iris Elovitch. The attorney reminded Netanyahu of his defense version, stating that the articles presented by the prosecution as unusual responsiveness were negligible compared to the volume of negative coverage he received.
