Israeli prime minister returns to court for corruption trial after month-long hiatus

Netanyahu’s trial had been suspended due to Jewish holidays and his travel to New York for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said that ministers and Knesset members from Netanyahu’s Likud Party attended the court session to support the premier.

Netanyahu left the courtroom for a while after receiving an envelope from one of his aides, the broadcaster added.

While addressing the Israeli Knesset on Monday, US President Donald Trump asked his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, to grant a pardon for Netanyahu in his corruption trial.

According to Israeli law, the president holds the authority to pardon criminals or commute their sentences based on necessary information or opinions from relevant authorities, such as the ministers of justice or defense.

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin, from Netanyahu’s Likud Party, expressed his support for the pardon of the prime minister on Wednesday morning, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Levi said that the premier’s trial “should never have begun, and its existence is contrary to justice and the interests of the state.”

The right-wing Education Minister Yoav Kisch, from the Likud Party, also called on his X account for the cancellation of the trial, citing “serious security challenges and existential threats” facing Israel.

In January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions related to charges in the cases designated 1000, 2000, and 4000, all of which he denies.

Case 1000 involves Netanyahu and his family receiving expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for favors.

Case 2000 concerns alleged negotiations with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, to gain positive media coverage.

Case 4000, considered the most serious, involves providing facilitation to Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the news site Walla and a telecommunications company, Bezeq, in return for favorable media coverage.

Netanyahu, whose trial began on May 24, 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history.

He also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where nearly 68,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.