Netanyahu trial resumes amid scheduling disputes and heated exchanges

Netanyahu trial resumes amid scheduling disputes and heated exchanges

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial has resumed this week after a two-month pause, with the court and the defense navigating repeated last-minute scheduling requests tied to the prime minister's security and diplomatic obligations. The proceedings, which resumed on Tuesday, have been marked by disputes over timing and a tense exchange during testimony on Wednesday.

Scheduling conflicts continue

The trial resumed on Tuesday afternoon, after the defense requested a 4 p.m. start citing an “urgent security-diplomatic matter” detailed in a sealed envelope submitted to the court and the prosecution. The court initially set the hearing from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., but the Courts Administration later updated that the hearing would take place between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to a court decision.

This followed Monday’s scheduled hearing being canceled early in the morning, after the defense submitted an overnight update citing Netanyahu’s security schedule. Netanyahu had been scheduled to testify Monday through Wednesday, a schedule that has repeatedly been interrupted by wartime developments and classified security constraints.

Earlier this week, the defense also asked the court to delay Wednesday's start until 12:30 p.m., but presiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman rejected the request. In her decision, she wrote: “After reviewing the request and the confidential material, I have not found a sufficient basis justifying the requested change in the hearing date. The hearing will take place as scheduled.”

Testimony resumes in Case 4000

The current questioning is taking place in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla affair, the central case in Netanyahu’s criminal trial. Netanyahu began testifying in December 2024, becoming the first sitting Israeli prime minister to take the stand as a criminal defendant. Cross-examination began in June 2025, after months of direct examination by the defense. Netanyahu has now testified for more than 80 days.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu clashed with prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh during cross-examination. The hearing focused on a March 2015 interview Netanyahu gave to Walla journalist Dov Gil-Har, which the indictment alleges Netanyahu tried to delay and edit before publication. Netanyahu rejected this framing, calling the interview hostile and saying it violated understandings with his spokesman. He also pushed back against reliance on former spokesman Nir Hefetz, a state witness.

Tirosh also questioned Netanyahu about an Election Day video in which he warned that “Arab voters” were moving to the polls in large numbers. Netanyahu claimed the video was meant to mobilize Likud voters, not to suppress turnout. Walla published the video under the headline “rule of Right is in danger.”

Parts of the testimony also touched on items related to Netanyahu’s son, Yair, including a clarification about a politician’s wife and a paparazzo photographer. The court moved behind closed doors for those items.

Wider context

Netanyahu denies all charges, claiming they are politically motivated. Case 4000 involves allegations that Netanyahu advanced regulatory decisions beneficial to Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage on Walla. The prosecution has described it as a “give-and-take” bribery relationship.

In a separate development, President Isaak Herzog’s legal team has invited both the defense and the prosecution to begin preliminary talks on a possible plea bargain. The Attorney-General’s Office has indicated willingness to hold such talks but only without preconditions and without delaying the trial.

The cross-examination in Case 4000 is nearing its final stretch, with Case 2000 to follow. The trial continues against the backdrop of ongoing security and diplomatic pressures on the prime minister, which have repeatedly affected the scheduling of his testimony.