Judges push to expedite Netanyahu trial, reject bid to cut testimony days

In a bid to expedite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, judges ruled on Monday that his testimony will be limited to a maximum 14 additional hearings.

The judges also ordered Netanyahu’s legal team to submit by February 26 a list of witnesses expected to testify over the next two months, along with the estimated duration of their testimonies. This will allow the state to evaluate and respond to the defence’s request to reduce Netanyahu’s weekly testimony from three days to two.

At the beginning of Monday’s hearing, Netanyahu’s defense attorney, Amit Hadad, urged the court to allow Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to argue in favor of reducing the prime minister’s weekly testimony days. Hadad asserted that Katz would present security-related justifications for the request in a closed-door hearing which have not yet been fully detailed to the court.

But Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman expressed skepticism. “The Defense Minister is a political figure, not a professional,” she said, questioning what additional information Katz could provide that Netanyahu himself could not. Judge Moshe Baram also pressed for clarity, asking whether any new security developments had occurred to justify the request. Netanyahu responded affirmatively, though no specifics were disclosed.

The court has yet to rule on that request.

Despite the defense’s insistence, the court ruled that Netanyahu’s testimony will continue as scheduled—three days a week — unless a formal decision to alter the schedule is made later. The judges also instructed Hadad to submit a detailed written proposal outlining how other defense witnesses could be integrated into the schedule to accommodate the request for reduced testimony.

The Prime Minister faces charges of fraud, accepting bribes, and breach of trust stemming from three separate police investigations. Netanyahu denies all charges of wrongdoing and has insisted in the past that the trial would not interfere with his public responsibilities.

In the case known as the “Bezeq Affair.” Netanyahu — as Communications Minister — is accused of giving regulatory benefits to the Bezeq telecom giant. In return, Bezeq’s majority shareholder, Shaul Elovitch, gave Netanyahu favorable coverage on the Walla News site, which he owns.

In the second investigation, known as the “Yediot Affair,” Netanyahu allegedly helped Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes by advancing regulations on the distribution of newspapers to Mozes’s advantage. In exchange, Mozes is accused of providing Netanyahu — who was Communications Minister at the time — with favorable coverage.

In a separate investigation known as the “Gifts Affair,” Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting $200,000 in gifts from Hollywood Arnon Milchan in exchange for helping the billionaire obtain a visa to work in the US and changing certain tax provisions to benefit Milchan. This case is generally regarded as the most serious one against Netanyahu.

The corruption trial has been taking place at the Jerusalem District Court, but for security reasons, Netanyahu was permitted to testify in an underground bunker at the Tel Aviv District Court. He rarely attended hearings in person since the trial began in 2020.

The trial dragged out because of the unprecedented nature of the proceedings, the lengthy list of witnesses, war and the COVID pandemic. High-profile officials who have so far testified include former prime minister Yair Lapid, former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, current Justice Minister Yariv Levin, former Mossad director Tamir Pardo, and former Israeli ambassador to the US Gilad Erdan.

Legal experts estimate that the trial could potentially drag on for another year, possibly two.

No serving Israeli Prime Minister has ever been indicted on criminal charges. Ehud Olmert stepped down in 2008 ahead of his own indictment for corruption. Olmert was eventually convicted and served two-thirds of a 27-month prison sentence.