Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday for the 81st time since his trial began in 2020. According to the Anadolu Agency, he returned to face ongoing corruption allegations.
اضافة اعلان
This marks Netanyahu's first court appearance in nearly two months, dating back to the outbreak of the war on Iran on February 28.
Netanyahu was originally scheduled to appear on Monday but requested the session's cancellation, citing "security reasons," before holding security consultations regarding the war on Lebanon.
Testimony Progress
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported: "Netanyahu is in the final stages of his testimony. He has testified over 80 days of sessions. According to the Prosecutor's Office, he still has approximately 11 full days of testimony remaining, followed by a re-examination by his defense attorneys, which is expected to be brief."
The report added: "In the past two weeks, his sessions were canceled at his request. He had not testified since the start of the war on Iran, despite the resumption of all court proceedings in Israel."
Netanyahu is scheduled to testify today regarding Case 4000, in which he is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
Details of Case 4000
According to the indictment, Netanyahu and businessman Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the Walla news site, shared a "bribery relationship." Within this framework, Netanyahu and his family allegedly made various demands of the Elovitch family regarding media coverage of their affairs on the site, including demands to suppress his political opponents.
The Pardon Controversy
The trial continues amid deep divisions within Israel regarding Netanyahu’s request for a pardon from President Isaac Herzog.
On November 30, Netanyahu requested a pardon for the corruption charges against him, notably without admitting guilt or retiring from political life. Since the trial began in 2020, Netanyahu has refused to plead guilty, whereas Israeli law only permits the President to grant a pardon following an admission of guilt.
Summary of Corruption Files
Netanyahu faces charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three specific cases, for which indictments were filed in late November 2019:
Case 1000: Involves Netanyahu and his family receiving expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for facilitating various interests.
Case 2000: Involves allegations of negotiating with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, to secure favorable media coverage.
Case 4000: Involves the aforementioned "bribery relationship" with the owner of the Walla news site.
Netanyahu continues to deny all charges, claiming they are part of a "political campaign aimed at ousting him."
International Legal Challenges
In addition to his domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
