Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished testifying on Wednesday in the so-called files cases at the Tel Aviv District Court, ending a year and a half of testimony spread over 98 hearings. It is described as the longest testimony ever given by a criminal defendant in Israel. Because of security reasons, the hearings were held in Tel Aviv, but they are now expected to move back to the Jerusalem District Court.
During the session, Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, said the defense was ending the re-examination phase. The move came a week after Netanyahu’s cross-examination ended, following a year of questioning on Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000. The judges view his testimony as crucial, because they must decide whether his version of events is credible or whether it strengthens the prosecution’s case.
With Netanyahu’s testimony complete, the trial is entering the defense-witness stage. The court proceedings have already been going on for more than six years, and the target for finishing at the district court level is March 2028, when panel chair Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman is due to retire. To try to keep the case on schedule, the judges increased the hearing pace to four days a week and ordered Netanyahu to testify three times a week, although that often failed because of repeated cancellations, some for security and political reasons.
The defense plans to call 100 witnesses. After that, the other defendants are expected to testify, including Shaul Elovitch and Iris Elovitch in Case 4000, and Arnon, also known as Noni, Mozes in Case 2000. In an unusual step, the judges may push the proceedings by having the other defendants testify at the same time as Netanyahu’s defense witnesses.
Throughout his testimony, Netanyahu denied the charges and said he was the target of a political frame-up. He said, "I fell into a trap," and claimed the prosecution misled him and caused contradictions in his testimony. In Case 1000, prosecutors presented evidence that Arnon Milchan’s cigar purchases rose from 19,312 shekels to 261,155 shekels after Netanyahu was re-elected, while Netanyahu said the gifts came from a close friendship and that his actions for Milchan were done for the state. In Case 2000, prosecutors focused on recorded conversations with Mozes, arguing they showed a bribery negotiation, while Netanyahu called them a political maneuver with no intent to carry out a deal. In Case 4000, prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh said Netanyahu acted like a "control freak" over media coverage, while he said his signatures on Bezeq-Yes documents were mere rubber stamps based on professional recommendations.
