Netanyahu's Lawyer Threatens Resignation Over Court's Five-Day Trial Schedule

A heated session took place at the Jerusalem District Court on Monday, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, focusing on the court's demand to accelerate the trial pace to five days a week. Netanyahu's defense attorney, Amit Hadad, strongly criticized the judges' pressure and the impossible schedule imposed on the defense team. Hadad compared the defense's situation to imprisonment without release prospects, stating, "The lock-in is not eternal, there is no horizon for release. We will not participate in a show trial."

Hadad explained that the defense had already warned when the court set four trial days per week that they could not adequately represent Netanyahu under such conditions. Despite this, the court enforced the schedule through judicial orders, forcing the defense into an unsustainable role. He warned that the recent decision to extend the trial to five days weekly, including weekends and holidays, would require the defense to work continuously, causing "an extraordinary miscarriage of justice" and making it impossible to prepare witnesses properly.

The lawyer emphasized that the trial, involving a vast amount of material, cannot realistically conclude before March 2028, contradicting earlier estimates of September. He highlighted the severe impact on the defense team's personal lives and professional responsibilities, including managing their law offices and clients. Hadad also noted the difficulty in preparing for key witnesses such as Knesset members Ze'ev Elkin and Eitan Cabel, who are expected to testify. He urged the court to reconsider the accelerated schedule, stating, "If the court wants to shorten the trial, the way is not to kill us."

The session underscored the tension between the court's push for a speedy trial and the defense's capacity to provide a fair and thorough representation of Netanyahu, who was present during the proceedings. Hadad indicated that if the court does not ease the demands, he might resign from representing the prime minister, signaling a significant escalation in the trial's dynamics.