Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Tuesday before the District Court in Tel Aviv for the 81st time since his trial began in 2020 to respond to corruption charges against him.
The session marks Netanyahu’s first court appearance in about two months since the outbreak of war with Iran on February 28.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to appear on Monday, but he requested the session be cancelled, citing “security reasons,” before holding security consultations related to the war in Lebanon.
Israeli daily Maariv reported that Netanyahu is in the final stage of his testimony, having already testified over 80 days of hearings.
According to the prosecutor’s office, he still has around 11 full days of testimony remaining, in addition to a brief re-examination by his defence lawyers.
“In the past two weeks, his hearings were cancelled at his request, and since the start of the war with Iran, he has not testified, despite the resumption of all court sessions in Israel,” the newspaper said.
Netanyahu is scheduled to testify in Case 4000, in which he is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, it added.
According to the indictment, Netanyahu allegedly had a bribery relationship with businessman Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the Walla news website. In this framework, Netanyahu and his family are accused of making various demands regarding favorable media coverage and requesting the suppression of political rivals.
The court sessions come amid divisions within Israel over reports that Netanyahu sought a pardon from Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
On November 30, Netanyahu requested a pardon without admitting guilt or stepping down from political life.
Bribery, fraud and breach of trust
Since the start of his trial in 2020, Netanyahu has denied all charges, describing them as a “politically motivated campaign” aimed at removing him from office.
Israeli law does not allow a presidential pardon without an admission of guilt.
Netanyahu faces charges of corruption, bribery and breach of trust in three cases known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, for which indictments were filed in November 2019.
Case 1000 involves allegations that Netanyahu and members of his family received expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for favors.
In Case 2000, he is accused of negotiating with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, for positive media coverage.
His trial in these cases began in 2020 and is ongoing.
In addition to the corruption charges, Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 72,000 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli assault since October 2023.
