Netanyahu seeks to delay his testimony in corruption trial due to war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team has requested a 2.5-month postponement in his testimony for the corruption trial, citing insufficient preparation time due to the ongoing war, according to reports from Israeli media on Monday.

Netanyahu’s legal team told the Jerusalem District Court that major developments in the war have “caused most of the time slots meant to prepare the prime minister to give his testimony to be canceled due to urgent security or diplomatic needs.” The team added that “this small delay will enable the defense to properly prepare for his testimony and won’t harm the public interest.”

In addition to insufficient time to prepare the testimony, the District Court building reportedly lacks a safety room or bomb shelter in the event of a missile or drone attack.

Following the Hezbollah drone attack on Netanyahu’s private residence in October, he has mostly been working in a secured basement level at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). While Netanyahu and his wife Sara were not home at the time of the drone attack, the Hezbollah UAV reportedly caused some material damage to Netanyahu’s Caesarea home.

Netanyahu is on trial for bribery, corruption and breach of trust in three separate cases.

In Case 1000, Netanyahu and his wife are accused of receiving illegal gifts worth over $200,000 from the Israeli-born Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and the Australian businessman James Packer.

The second case, known as “Case 2000,” concerns an alleged non-materialized deal between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper owner Arnon Mozes to boost the paper’s market share at the expense of its media rival Israel Hayom in exchange for favorable media coverage of Netanyahu.

In the most serious legal case known as “Case 4000,” Netanyahu is accused of granting regulatory favors worth some $500 million to Shaul Elovitch, the main shareholder of Israeli telecom company Bezeq, in exchange for positive coverage on Elovitch’s media site, Walla News.

Netanyahu has denied all charges and claims that he and his family are victims of a political witch hunt designed to remove him from political power.

In June 2023, the judges in the Netanyahu trial urged for a plea bargain and told prosecutors it would be challenging to prove a bribery charge against the prime minister.

At the time, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli rejected the trial against Netanyahu, which he described as “seven years, five election campaigns, political chaos, endless hatred.”

“Indescribable shaming against a man who has dedicated his life to Israel's rise", the minister added.

In August, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara stressed that there was a “clear public interest” in completing the Netanyahu trial as soon as possible.

Critics have long expressed concerns over the protracted pace of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, which began in 2020. The ongoing Gaza War has further delayed proceedings, pushing the trial's conclusion further into the future. Given the trial's complexity and the likelihood of appeals, experts anticipate that a final verdict may not be reached until 2028 or 2029.