Netanyahu’s Lawyer Warns Trial Won’t Finish Before March 2028 Despite Court’s Push for Five-Day Weeks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared at the Jerusalem District Court with his attorney Amit Hadad to oppose the judges’ decision to extend trial sessions to five days a week. They also plan to resist the court’s order to submit a full list of defense witnesses, aiming to preserve the element of surprise crucial in criminal defense. Hadad argued that no trial in Israel has ever run five days a week except the Adolf Eichmann trial, emphasizing the impossibility of meeting the court’s accelerated schedule without compromising the defense. He warned, "We are on the edge of the edge," highlighting the defense team’s inability to provide adequate representation under the current pace.

The court’s push to expedite the trial aims to complete the verdict before Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, head of the panel, retires in March 2028. Hadad acknowledged that with hundreds of defense witnesses expected, the trial cannot conclude by that deadline. The judges recently announced the unprecedented expansion of trial days from four to five per week after many of Netanyahu’s testimony days were shortened or canceled at his request, which prolonged the proceedings. This marks the second time the court has increased weekly trial days, having expanded from three to four days in 2025, a move that Hadad opposed and even threatened to withdraw from representing Netanyahu over.

Netanyahu’s testimony concluded recently, and the trial will continue at the Jerusalem District Court with sessions scheduled Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including potential hearings during court recesses. Israeli law allows a judge up to three months post-retirement to finalize pending rulings, setting a verdict deadline for July 2028. If the court cannot complete the trial by then, Judge Friedman-Feldman could be reappointed as an "adjunct judge" with approval from the Supreme Court president and justice minister, bypassing the judicial selection committee.