Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been ordered by the panel of judges presiding over his corruption trial to testify three times a week beginning Nov. 2, when the court reconvenes after its recess.
In Tuesday’s announcement, the judges—Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham—cited the need to significantly speed up proceedings after repeated delays and hearing cancellations. Hearings will be held four days a week, from Sunday through Wednesday. Three days will feature Netanyahu’s testimony, while the fourth day will be reserved for other witnesses.
The court is also considering moving Netanyahu’s testimony sessions to the courthouse in Beit Shemesh, subject to coordination and fulfillment of the required safeguards. The hearings currently take place at the Tel Aviv District Court. They cannot be held at the Jerusalem District Court during the war because the building lacks a sufficient bomb shelter.
On June 25, U.S. President Donald Trump called for the cancellation of Netanyahu’s trial, describing the legal proceedings as a “witch hunt” and a “horror show.”
Netanyahu is facing bribery and breach-of-trust charges in three cases, labeled 1000, 2000 and 4000. The latter is the most serious and the only one featuring bribery charges. Members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, as well as its coalition partners and some opposition politicians, have dismissed the trial as a partisan attempt to oust the prime minister by non-democratic means.
The day after Trump’s statement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said there should be a plea deal. The three judges overseeing the case have also reportedly urged the prosecutor’s office privately to reach a plea agreement with the prime minister, as the bribery charges may be difficult to prove.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to lead Israel’s multi-front war, which began with the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with troops preparing for a significant expansion in the Gaza Strip, including taking control of Gaza City, as part of plans—approved by the Security Cabinet last week—to deliver a decisive defeat to Hamas.
