Israeli Prosecution Reconsiders Corruption Charge Against Netanyahu Following Judges' Recommendation

A senior official in the Israeli prosecution acknowledged the need to reconsider the corruption charge against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Case 4000, following a recommendation by the judges overseeing the trial. The judges, led by Justice Rivka Friedman-Feldman, reaffirmed their June 2023 position today that the bribery charge should be dropped, leaving only breach of trust charges in the three cases against Netanyahu (1000, 2000, and 4000). This stance remained unchanged even after Netanyahu's extensive testimony, which lasted about a year and a half and concluded last week.

During the hearing, the defense strongly criticized the court's decision to expand the trial schedule to five days a week, arguing it would hinder their ability to prepare witnesses and could cause a miscarriage of justice. Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Hadad, warned that the defense team might have to withdraw due to the unsustainable workload, predicting the trial could extend until 2028. Netanyahu himself, who voluntarily attended the session, supported his lawyer's concerns, noting the prosecution has a much larger team compared to his small defense group.

Netanyahu also accused the investigations against him of aiming not only to violate his personal rights but to undermine the public's right to elect him as leader. The prosecution's reconsideration of the bribery charge marks a significant shift in the high-profile case, potentially altering its trajectory going forward.