The judges presiding over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial reiterated on Monday that prosecutors should consider dropping bribery charges against the premier.
The three-judge headed by Jerusalem District Court Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman reaffirmed a suggestion they first made in June 2023, Kan News reported.
“We did not intend to say this, but after hearing the prime minister’s testimony, our position, as expressed in June 2023, remains unchanged,” Friedman-Feldman said during a hearing on expanding defense witness testimony to five days a week.
Three years ago, judges urged prosecutors to consider withdrawing the bribery charge in Case 4000—the most serious and consequential of the criminal cases against Netanyahu—while leaving the lesser breach of trust charges in place across the three criminal cases.
Netanyahu’s defense attorney Amit Hadad warned that the trial, which began in 2020, could last until September 2028.
“We have already informed the court that we cannot conduct four hearing days a week,” Hadad said at the hearing. “Beyond the fact that this would require us to sit in court, we would have to work every Shabbat and every holiday, contrary to the Hours of Work and Rest Law.”
He argued that expanding the hearing schedule would only prolong the proceedings, saying the defense would be unable to prepare witnesses and warning it would result in a miscarriage of justice.
“We will not be able to assess the relevance of witnesses, and in such a situation we will ask to withdraw from the representation, because there is a limit,” Hadad warned.
Netanyahu, who was not required to attend the hearing, asked to address the court.
“Attorney Amit Hadad called me and said, ‘This is going to be a catastrophe. I won’t be able to provide you with the defense you deserve,’” Netanyahu recalled.
“That meant he wanted to resign,” Netanyahu said, adding that the prosecution has “hundreds” working on the case while he has a small defense team.
Netanyahu concluded his testimony in his criminal trial on June 24, completing 98 hearings and marking a procedural milestone in the long-running case.
“I am finishing after 10 years of hell,” the premier said in his closing remarks, describing the proceedings as politically motivated and harmful to democratic governance.
Netanyahu is standing trial in three separate corruption cases on charges including bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The cases include allegations that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits to telecommunications company Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage from the Walla news website. He is also accused of accepting expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen and of seeking favorable media coverage from newspaper publishers.
The prime minister denies all wrongdoing.
No serving Israeli prime minister has previously been indicted on criminal charges. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned in 2008 ahead of his own indictment on corruption charges. He was later convicted and served two-thirds of a 27-month prison sentence.
