Netanyahu tells court it is ‘almost impossible’ for him to testify three times a week

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the judges of the Jerusalem District Court at the start of this morning’s hearing that it is “almost impossible” for him to testify three times a week in his long-running corruption trial.

The premier tells the judges that he has “made very great efforts to hold three hearings a week, efforts which required postponing critical discussions on issues that the public does not know about.”

“I am not exaggerating in the slightest — it is simply almost impossible,” he says.

Last month, the court said that Netanyahu would be required to testify three times a week, up from twice a week, in an effort to speed up the trial, which started in 2020 and is not expected to end before 2027.

Since then, the premier’s defense team has submitted multiple requests for hearings to be shortened or canceled entirely, citing ill health, security meetings, or diplomatic visits.

Channel 12 reported last week that there has not been a single week in which the premier has testified three times.