Netanyahu Finishes Testimony as Trial Enters Defense Stage

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his testimony in his criminal trial after a year and a half, at the Tel Aviv District Court on January 12, 2026. The article argues that the defense scored its biggest gains earlier, during cross-examinations of key prosecution witnesses, especially state witness Shlomo Filber, while the prosecution achieved more during Netanyahu’s own testimony.

According to the piece, prosecutors Yehudit Tirosh in case 4000 and Yehonatan Tadmor in cases 1000 and 2000 handled effective cross-examinations. Tirosh revived the alleged “directive meeting” in case 4000 by finding alternative dates after the indictment dates were undermined, which may help support the charge of breach of trust, though the author says it is unlikely to restore the bribery count. Tadmor weakened the defense claim that gifts and invoices were inflated and, in the writer’s view, exposed benefits worth hundreds of thousands of shekels. In case 2000, Netanyahu admitted he had considered softening legislation concerning Israel Hayom, contradicting his earlier claim that the talks with Arnon Mozes were “nothing, nothing.”

The article says Netanyahu did not really testify so much as argue, give speeches, and repeat slogans. At the end of his testimony he delivered an improvised political speech, saying, “Ten years I have been in this swamp,” and accusing investigators of finding nothing, destroying families, and behaving like the Stasi. The writer says none of that was relevant to factual testimony.

Attention now shifts to the defense phase, which Netanyahu’s lawyers say may involve hundreds of witnesses. The court has asked for a list and will begin filtering them. The piece says the target is June 2028, because presiding judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman is due to retire in March 2028, leaving time for a verdict only if the defense ends by late 2026 and 2027 is spent on summations. The writer says expected defense witnesses such as Avichai Mendelblit and Shai Nitzan are more likely to generate headlines than decisive legal help.

The article concludes that Netanyahu likely understands his chances are better while he remains prime minister, and that any future plea deal would require full political retirement and acknowledgement of disgrace. It also says that if he is elected prime minister again, his criminal trial would likely be stopped immediately.