corruption charges

Israeli court postpones Netanyahu corruption hearing for ‘security’ reasons

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, on April 21, 2025. [Moti KIMCHI / POOL / AFP / Getty Images]

The Tel Aviv District Court accepted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request Monday to postpone his hearing to respond to corruption charges until Tuesday, citing “political and security” reasons.

The public broadcaster KAN said Netanyahu requested the delay Monday morning for “political and security reasons,” without giving further details.

The court and the public prosecutor’s office approved the request, and the next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, KAN said.

The delay came as the Israeli army on Monday began attacking the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla carrying activists from 39 countries in international waters.

Live broadcasts from the flotilla showed Israeli naval forces attacking the boats one after another.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli army detained activists aboard the vessels and was transferring them to a navy ship described as a “floating prison” before transporting them to the port of Ashdod.

Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. Indictments were filed in late November 2019.

Since his corruption trial began in 2020, Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing. Israeli law allows a presidential pardon only after a defendant admits guilt.

In addition to the domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where more than 72,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal war since October 2023.

READ: Netanyahu says Israeli army nearing completion of Gaza mission, signals readiness for all Iran scenarios

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

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Continue ReadingIsraeli court postpones Netanyahu corruption hearing for ‘security’ reasons

Israeli prime minister returns to court for 70th hearing in corruption trial

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, on April 21, 2025. [Moti KIMCHI / POOL / AFP / Getty Images]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared Tuesday before the District Court in Tel Aviv for the 70th time as part of his ongoing corruption trial, Anadolu reports.

Independent Israeli journalist Orly Barlev, who has closely tracked the case since its outset, said the latest session marked the 70th day of Netanyahu’s courtroom testimony.

“Today marks the 70th day of testimony by the defendant Netanyahu, with questioning continuing in Case 4000,” Barlev wrote on the US social media company X.

The hearing comes as Israeli society remains divided over Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon from President Isaac Herzog, a move that has drawn both political backing and sharp criticism.

Netanyahu formally submitted the pardon request on Nov. 30 last year, seeking relief from the corruption charges without admitting wrongdoing or withdrawing from public life.

Since the trial began, Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations. Under Israeli law, however, a presidential pardon can only be granted following an admission of guilt.

READ: Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to reduce his corruption trial days

The prime minister is facing charges in three separate cases, commonly known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000. The indictments were filed in late November 2019 by then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

Case 1000 centers on allegations that Netanyahu and members of his family received costly gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors.

Case 2000 involves claims that Netanyahu held talks with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the privately owned Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, in an effort to secure favorable media coverage.

Case 4000 focuses on accusations that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits to Shaul Elovitch, former owner of the Walla news website and a senior executive at Bezeq telecommunications company, in return for positive press.

Netanyahu’s trial has been underway since 2020 and remains unresolved. He continues to dismiss the charges, portraying them as a politically motivated effort to force him from office.

Beyond the domestic proceedings, Netanyahu is also facing international legal scrutiny. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against him over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, where more than 71,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 171,000 others injured in a brutal assault since October 2023.

READ: Trump urges Israel to cancel Netanyahu’s trial or grant a pardon

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Continue ReadingIsraeli prime minister returns to court for 70th hearing in corruption trial

Israel’s attorney general rejects Netanyahu’s request to delay corruption trial

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An exterior view of the District Court in east Jerusalem, on November 22, 2021. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s attorney general on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his corruption trial for two weeks, local media said, Anadolu reports.

Netanyahu had asked the Jerusalem District Court to delay his trial, claiming that he needed to focus on other matters following Israeli attacks on Iran, including the issue of returning Israeli captives from Gaza.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the court also rejected Netanyahu’s request and decided to keep the scheduled hearing set for next Monday.

The court judges determined that “the schedule presented by Netanyahu to try to delay his trial sessions does not justify canceling the hearings,” it said.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara earlier said that the reasons detailed by Netanyahu in his request “cannot justify canceling two weeks of hearings.”

As a result, Netanyahu is expected to appear before the court on Monday as planned.

READ: Trump urges Israel to cancel Netanyahu’s trial or grant a pardon

Corruption charges

Reacting to the decision, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized both the attorney general and the judges.

“The Attorney General’s Office and the judges of Netanyahu’s government insist on being small dwarfs, lacking any strategic vision or understanding of reality,” he wrote on X.

“They seem determined to help us highlight for the public the destructive and dangerous corruption that has taken hold of the judicial system, and the urgent need to reform it,” he added.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticized the court’s decision, calling it a “detached and miserable decision.”

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi echoed the criticism, saying: “They live in their own world, isolated… Shame on them!”

Likud lawmaker Avichai Buaron said Netanyahu should simply notify the court and the attorney general that “his duty to the state and the national interest outweigh the need for four more evidentiary hearings, and that he won’t attend in the next two weeks.”

For several months, Netanyahu has appeared before the court to respond to the charges against him but the sessions were halted during the recent Israel-Iran war that began on June 13 and lasted for 12 days.

On Thursday, Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for calling to cancel his corruption trial, a move that sparked wide controversy and division in Israel.

Supporters of Netanyahu welcomed it, while the opposition urged Trump not to interfere in Israel’s judicial process.

Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust that could lead to imprisonment if proven.

In January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions related to Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, which he denies. The attorney general filed an indictment related to these cases at the end of November 2019.

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 over 56,300 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.

READ: Israel’s Netanyahu requests two-week break from corruption trial citing “regional developments”

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Continue ReadingIsrael’s attorney general rejects Netanyahu’s request to delay corruption trial

Netanyahu tightens grip on power through Gaza genocide

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241215-israeli-army-deliberately-bombed-site-to-kill-hostages-inside-al-qassam-brigades

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 10, 2024 [Chaim Goldberg/Flash90/Pool/Anadolu Agency]

Despite overseeing what is widely considered to be a genocide in Gaza and facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes, as well as ongoing corruption charges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strengthened his political position, according to a new poll which shows that his Likud party would increase its parliamentary representation in an election held today.

A Channel 13 News poll published yesterday reveals that Netanyahu’s coalition would win 57 seats in the 120-member Knesset, up from 55 in October, with Likud emerging as the largest party at 26 seats. The results suggest that far from weakening Netanyahu’s position, the devastating military onslaught in Gaza has consolidated his support base.

The polling data, reported by Haaretz, appears to challenge the prevalent Western narrative that Netanyahu is the primary obstacle to peace. Instead, it indicates broad Israeli public support for the military offensive in Gaza, which has killed at least 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 106,000 others.

The survey shows Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition gaining strength while the opposition would slip to 58 seats, down from 60 in October. Key findings include:

The poll, conducted by the Maagar Mochot research institute in collaboration with Sample Project Panel and Stat-Net, surveyed 676 Israelis with a margin of error of 3.8 per cent. While Netanyahu’s coalition would still fall short of a majority, the strengthening of his position amid international condemnation of the genocide in Gaza suggests deep-rooted support within Israeli society for the current military campaign.

The results indicate that rather than facing political consequences for the unprecedented civilian casualties in Gaza and Israel becoming an international pariah under Likud, Netanyahu has instead seen his position solidify. This raises questions about the broader societal attitudes within Israel towards the ongoing assault on Gaza and the underlying motivations for what is often described as a war of annihilation against the Palestinians.

Amnesty: Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

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Continue ReadingNetanyahu tightens grip on power through Gaza genocide

Netanyahu asks for shorter and fewer court appearances in corruption trial

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241205-netanyahu-asks-for-shorter-and-fewer-court-appearances-in-corruption-trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a speech at his Jerusalem office on March 14, 2020 [GALI TIBBON/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked yesterday to reduce the number of days and the duration of his appearances before Tel Aviv District Court in his trial on corruption charges. He is due to attend in court from next Tuesday to defend himself against several charges including bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the prime minister is asking if he can testify twice a week, instead of three times as decided by the judiciary. “In addition, Netanyahu is requesting that each session be shortened to 5 hours instead of 6 hours, starting at 10:00 and ending at 15:00 local time, instead of the scheduled time between 9:00 and 15:00.”

Netanyahu’s defence team justified this by arguing, “He works almost every day until late at night, whether due to cabinet meetings, security consultations, or the need to communicate with various entities abroad.”

The court has yet to decide on Netanyahu’s request.

Channel 12 reported that court judges had already approved Netanyahu’s request to relocate his trial from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv for security reasons, noting that the sessions will be held in a “secret underground courtroom.”

He was initially scheduled to appear in court last Sunday, but the court agreed to his request to postpone his appearance until next Tuesday, due to his busy schedule.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that media outlets had submitted a request to the court to broadcast Netanyahu’s testimony live, but the court rejected the request.

The corruption cases in which he is indicted are known as Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000, with former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filing an indictment against Netanyahu in late November 2019.

Case 1000 involves Netanyahu and members of his family receiving expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen, in exchange for favours and assistance to these individuals in various fields.

Case 2000 involves accusations that Netanyahu agreed with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper publisher, Arnon Mozes, to obtain positive media coverage in exchange for weakening a rival.

Case 4000 is considered the most serious, in which Netanyahu advanced regulatory decisions that benefited Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, in exchange for positive coverage from the company’s Walla news site.

Netanyahu’s trial in these cases began in 2020 and is ongoing. He denies all the charges against him, calling them a political campaign aimed at ousting him.

READ: Israel military warns 30 troops against travel abroad amid legal cases over Gaza war crimes

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241205-netanyahu-asks-for-shorter-and-fewer-court-appearances-in-corruption-trial

Continue ReadingNetanyahu asks for shorter and fewer court appearances in corruption trial