Netanyahu Corruption Trial to Resume Sunday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will resume on Sunday, the Jerusalem District Court confirmed, following the lifting of emergency restrictions imposed during the conflict with Iran.

A court statement on Thursday said that the return of the judicial system clears the way for Netanyahu’s trial to continue, beginning with a hearing set to include testimony from a defence witness.

Court proceedings in Israel had been interrupted due to the conflict, but the military’s Home Front Command approved a broad reopening after the United States and Iran reached a temporary truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Credit: AFP

Netanyahu faces charges in two cases over allegedly negotiating favourable media coverage from Israeli news outlets, and a third case involves accusations that he accepted over $260,000 in luxury gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favours. A fourth corruption charge was previously dismissed.

The prime minister, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the three ongoing cases, is the first sitting Israeli leader to stand trial for corruption. He has described the proceedings, which began in 2019, as a “political trial.”

In October, US President Donald Trump addressed Israeli President Isaac Herzog in parliament, urging a pardon for Netanyahu. Trump then sent a formal letter to Herzog, accompanied by an official request from Netanyahu’s lawyers.

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