Netanyahu Corruption Trial Resumes After Summer Recess

The corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to resume on Sunday at the Jerusalem District Court, following the court system's summer recess. The upcoming hearing will be procedural, focusing on the defense's case, after which witnesses called by the defense will continue to testify. The judges have scheduled an accelerated pace of five hearings per week after the Jewish holidays, despite objections from Netanyahu's legal team. This resumption comes after a six-week break during which only urgent hearings were held.

Before the recess, defense attorneys for Netanyahu and the co-defendants, the Alonivich couple, questioned witnesses including investigators and government officials to bolster their arguments. Netanyahu himself concluded his testimony in the cases, where he faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, approximately two months ago. At that time, the judges indicated that his testimony had not altered their views on the difficulties in prosecuting the bribery charge.

Scheduled to testify early next week are Ze'ev Elkin on Monday, and Superintendent Shimon Sharvit on Tuesday and Wednesday. The decision to increase the hearing frequency to five days a week after the holidays is partly influenced by the impending retirement of Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who will have two years to write her verdict. Previously, four hearings were held weekly, with three dedicated to Netanyahu's testimony, which has now concluded. Many hearings had been shortened or canceled prior to this decision.