Netanyahu returns to court to testify in corruption trial after months-long break due to Iran war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to the courtroom to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, after a more than two-month pause due to the Iran war.

The trial had initially been set to resume yesterday, but was canceled at the last minute due to security concerns submitted to the court by Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad.

The testimony is expected to pick up from where the premier left off during his last hearing on February 24.

Netanyahu has testified 80 times so far, and is almost done being cross-examined on Case 4000, involving allegations that he authorized regulatory decisions that financially benefited telecommunications mogul Shaul Elovitch by hundreds of millions of shekels.

According to prosecutors’ assessments, cited by the Haaretz daily, Netanyahu has four to eight more sessions left regarding Case 2000, involving a suspected quid pro quo arrangement between himself and Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The resumption of hearings comes in the shadow of a statement by President Isaac Herzog on Sunday rebuffing, at least for the time being, the prospect of granting Netanyahu a pardon, despite an official request from the prime minister and heavy pressure from US President Donald Trump.