Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished testifying on Wednesday in his corruption trial in Tel Aviv, ending a year and a half on the witness stand across 98 court sessions. The testimony, in the so-called “Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000,” is described as the longest ever by a criminal defendant in Israel. Because of security reasons, the hearings were held in Tel Aviv, but they are now expected to resume at the Jerusalem District Court.
Defense attorney Amit Hadad told the court he was concluding the re-examination of Netanyahu, a week after the prosecution completed its year-long cross-examination. The judges will now move the case into the defense-evidence stage. The trial has been running for more than six years, and the target for a first-instance finish is March 2028, when presiding judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman is due to retire. To keep the case on schedule, the judges increased hearings to four per week and required Netanyahu to testify three times weekly, though repeated cancellations, some for security and political reasons, often prevented that.
The defense plans to call about 100 witnesses. After that, other defendants are expected to testify, including Shaul and Iris Elovitch in Case 4000 and Arnon, also known as Noni, Mozes in Case 2000. In an unusual move, the judges may ask to speed things up by allowing the co-defendants to testify alongside Netanyahu’s defense witnesses so the case can meet the timetable.
During his testimony, Netanyahu denied the charges and insisted on his innocence. He said he often could not remember events cited by prosecutors and accused the state of framing him as a sitting prime minister, calling it a “case stitch-up.” This week he said, “I fell into a trap. The prosecution misled me, and that is why there were contradictions in my testimony.” In Case 1000, prosecutors cited a rise in cigars bought by Arnon Milchan from 19,312 shekels to 261,155 shekels after Netanyahu was re-elected. Netanyahu said the gifts were tied to “a close friendship” and that his actions for Milchan were done on behalf of the state. In Case 2000, prosecutors relied on recorded conversations with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Mozes, arguing they showed a bribery negotiation, while Netanyahu called them a political ploy with no intent to carry it out. In Case 4000, prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh portrayed him as a “control freak” over the media, while he said his signatures on Bezeq-Yes documents were merely rubber-stamps based on professional recommendations.
