Netanyahu lawyer quits defense team due to declining health of family member

Boaz Ben Zur, who represents PM in Case 4000 — the most serious of the three — will hand over role to Amid Hadad when prosecution’s case ends

Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu's attorney Boaz Ben Zur arrives for a court hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, January 8, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu's attorney Boaz Ben Zur arrives for a court hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, January 8, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A prominent lawyer on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team handed in his resignation Monday, asking to step away from his role due to the deteriorating health of a relative.

Boaz Ben Zur, who represents Netanyahu in Case 4000, considered the most serious of the three cases against the premier, will be replaced by Amit Hadad, who is leading the defense in cases 1000 and 2000.

Ben Zur will continue representing Netanyahu until the end of the prosecution’s case, which will be followed by a break and then the start of the defense’s case.

According to Channel 12 news, Ben Zur notified Netanyahu of his intention to quit two weeks in advance.

“Since the start of the process and to this moment I remain convinced that the charges against the prime minister have no basis and will be disproved in court,” Ben Zur said in a statement, expressing confidence that Hadad would faithfully continue his work.

Netanyahu said in a statement: “I thank attorney Ben Zur for his professional and dedicated work, and for the significant revelations he made that disprove the accusations against me.”

File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the District Court in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

“I am sorry for his departure, but under the circumstances, family comes first. I can only wish a full recovery to his relative,” he added.

Netanyahu faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000 and Case 2000, and charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in Case 4000. He denies wrongdoing and says the charges were fabricated in a political coup, led by the police and state prosecution.

In Case 4000, he is alleged to have advanced regulatory decisions as communications minister and prime minister that immensely benefited Shaul Elovitch, who was also the controlling shareholder in Bezeq, the country’s largest telecommunications firm, despite opposition from Communication Ministry officials. In exchange, he allegedly was given what amounted to editorial control over the Walla news site, which Elovitch also owned.

In June, judges overseeing the case reportedly informed prosecutors they believed there would be difficulty in proving the bribery charge.

In March, Ben Zur reportedly told Netanyahu he would stop representing the premier in his corruption trial unless the government halted its planned overhaul of the judicial system. However, he did not do so.

The controversial plans have been sidelined since Hamas’s murderous October 7 rampage, which sparked the ongoing war against the terror group in Gaza.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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