Judges Speed Up Netanyahu Trial, Set Five-Day Hearing Schedule

The judges in Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial are moving to accelerate the proceedings after the prime minister finished giving his own testimony, which lasted about a year and a half. Starting Sunday, the trial will return to the Jerusalem District Court after Netanyahu’s testimony was heard at the Tel Aviv District Court in a protected venue.

On Wednesday evening, the judges instructed the defense team to prepare witnesses for every hearing day and to arrange backup witnesses if a scheduled witness cannot appear, so that no court days are canceled. They also ordered a hearing for Monday on the defense witnesses Netanyahu intends to call, with the goal of reaching an agreement that would reduce the need to summon some of them and instead rely on documents and exhibits related to those witnesses.

The most significant order was that beginning with the next court year, which starts in October after the Tishrei holidays, the trial will be heard five days a week, Sunday through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The judges also suggested holding hearings during the court recess.

Netanyahu’s testimony ended on Wednesday after 98 hearings over roughly 18 months, many of which were canceled or shortened. During that period, the judges had to accommodate the prime minister’s official role and repeated wartime developments. They now want to speed up a case that has been going on for about six years, especially because the presiding judge, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, is expected to retire in March 2028.