Shin Bet, Courts Administration recommend Netanyahu keep testifying in underground courtroom

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives testimony in his trial on corruption charges in a courtroom of the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives testimony in his trial on corruption charges in a courtroom of the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The Shin Bet and the Israel Courts Administration recommend that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his corruption trial continue to be held in the secure, underground courtroom at the Tel Aviv District Court building.

Their recommendation comes following a Shin Bet assessment that the security circumstances — which required Netanyahu to testify in the secure room in the Tel Aviv court in the first place — have not changed.

Netanyahu is on trial in the Jerusalem District Court, but its courthouse does not have bomb shelters or alternative security arrangements in the event of a rocket or missile attack. The security services recommend Netanyahu give testimony in the underground courtroom in Tel Aviv due to the ongoing multifront war Israel is fighting.

“Should the evaluation of the situation relating to security arrangements change, the court will be updated, and appropriate instructions will be requested,” the Israel Courts Administration legal adviser tells the court.

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