Netanyahu Opposes Court’s Plan to Increase Trial Frequency in Corruption Case

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared at the Jerusalem District Court on Monday to oppose the judges’ decision to accelerate the trial schedule to five days a week after the Jewish High Holidays. The court’s move to intensify hearings is highly unusual and comes amid a heavy caseload in the Jerusalem District Court, partly due to a surge in cases and Netanyahu’s ongoing trial.

Netanyahu’s defense attorney, Amit Hadad, argued that holding hearings five days a week would prevent the defense from providing an adequate representation. Hadad noted that the only trial previously conducted at such a pace was the Eichmann trial and warned the court that this schedule would be unmanageable. Similarly, attorney Jacques Chen, representing Shaul and Iris Elovitch, stated that the increased pace would harm his ability to defend his clients properly and would interfere with his law firm’s operations.

The presiding judge, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who is expected to retire in March 2028, and the other judges reiterated their recommendation from June 2023 to drop the bribery charge against Netanyahu. They stated that after hearing Netanyahu’s testimony, their position remained unchanged. Hadad criticized the bribery charge, saying it would require hundreds of witnesses and could not be completed by the judge’s retirement date.

Netanyahu described the trial as a "massive miscarriage of justice," accusing law enforcement of political persecution aimed at forcing him out of politics. He claimed the prosecution used threats against witnesses and destroyed families, asserting that most of the public views the case as politically motivated. Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh protested Netanyahu’s remarks, accusing him of abusing the courtroom to attack the prosecution, though she acknowledged that daily hearings would be difficult.

Netanyahu completed his testimony last week, and the defense phase, including witness presentations, is ongoing. The trial, temporarily moved to Tel Aviv, has now returned to Jerusalem. Netanyahu and the Elovitch couple maintain their presumption of innocence as the trial proceeds.