Despite the ongoing war, Netanyahu’s corruption trial hearings set to resume in Tel Aviv next week

After numerous delays due to the ongoing war in Gaza, the corruption trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue with hearings in Tel Aviv next Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The judges in the case against Netanyahu announced their decision following a request by Israel's domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and the Courts Administration to move the trial to Tel Aviv’s District Court, as the Jerusalem courthouse reportedly has insufficient security measures to protect the prime minister.

Since the time and location of the hearings are scheduled in advance and made public, they could provide terror groups with an opportunity to attempt to target Netanyahu.

“After examining the various threats on the basis of relevant information, including information received from the IDF, and based on a defense consultant's report prepared on the subject, the Shin Bet’s position is that hearings of Prime Minister's testimony in the Jerusalem District Court should be avoided at this time,” the security assessment read.

Judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am and Oded Shaham said they accepted the recommendation to hold the hearings in the fortified basement courtroom of the Tel Aviv District Court.

In October, a Hezbollah drone struck Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea while he and his family were away. Since that incident, the prime minister has primarily worked from a bunker under his office, Israeli media reported.

The judges also provided Netanyahu and his attorneys with a chance to issue final requests for the hearings.

According to media reports on Thursday, the prime minister asked for the hearings to be limited to only two, non-consecutive days a week; for them to start at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m., and to last up to five hours; and for the court to take into consideration potential constraints that could arise during the hearings due to emergencies related to the war.

“Naturally, the Prime Minister has a very busy schedule dedicated to managing the country, which includes a long list of commitments and constraints, including meetings and security consultations throughout the day, debates in the Knesset, cabinet meetings, policy meetings, and more,” read the request submitted by Netanyahu, cited by Israeli media.

In addition, Netanyahu requested to provide a statement before the judges at the beginning of the hearing, behind closed doors.  

Despite the war, proceedings of the trial that began in 2020, continued progressing. In August, the prosecution finished bringing witnesses in Case 4000, considered the most serious of three corruption cases against Netanyahu. 

Case 4000 involves charges that Netanyahu issued favorable regulatory decisions for Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage on Israel's Walla news site, which is owned by Bezeq’s principal shareholder, Shaul Elovitch. 

Netanyahu’s testimony will begin the defense portion of the trial. He has denied all charges in the three cases, saying they were fabricated against him by political opponents using the police and state prosecutors. 

The trial is expected to last several years, with some experts predicting a resolution in 2028-2029.