Netanyahu could testify in Tel Aviv courthouse basement due to security jitters
Relying on secret intel, Courts Administration recommends alternative location for high-stakes trial after determining protected space in Jerusalem building unsuitable
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can take the stand in his corruption trial next week in an underground, fortified hall at the Tel Aviv District Court, the Courts Administration recommended Monday, after concerns were raised over the lack of security arrangements at the courthouse in Jerusalem where the trial has been held until now.
Netanyahu is set to begin testifying on December 10 after a series of delays stemming from the prime minister’s administration of the war against Hamas in Gaza and, until last week, against Hezbollah in Lebanon. He is accused of fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases, including one in which he is also facing the more serious charge of bribery.
In a two-page statement published Monday, the Courts Administration the trial can be moved from its normal location at the Jerusalem District Court building to a courtroom in the basement of the Tel Aviv courthouse, located in the city’s justice hall, which also includes the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.
Netanyahu had requested special security arrangements due to the risk of making scheduled appearances at a public location. In September, the Lebanese terror group crashed an explosive drone into Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, causing damage but no injuries.
Since then, the prime minister has worked from a fortified basement in his office, according to Hebrew media reports. In previous years, the Hamas terror group battling Israel in Gaza also fired rockets at locations where Netanyahu was scheduled to appear.
According to the Courts Administration, during discussions over security arrangements, the Shin Bet security agency, which is charged with protecting officials, provided judicial officials with “top secret” information regarding threats to Netanyahu due to the ongoing war. The dossier included input from the IDF, and an advisory report on shelter requirements was also consulted, the court said.
“The stance of the Shin Bet is to avoid holding hearings for the prime minister’s testimony, at this time, at the Jerusalem District Court. This is even though there is a floor-wide shelter in the building,” the statement said.
Officials looked into ways to keep the trial in Jerusalem, including moving it to the city’s labor court or an office building, but in the end the only suitable locations were identified at justice halls in Tel Aviv and the adjacent suburb of Bat Yam, the Courts Administration said.
The Tel Aviv court has a fortified protected space underground where the trial can be held.
According to the statement, the Shin Bet has signed off on the solution.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to begin testifying in his graft cases on December 2, but his defense team requested a 15-day postponement, citing inability to prepare due to Netanyahu’s intense schedule leading the country during a war. The court granted him an eight-day delay, with the testimony now set to begin on December 10.
Last week he requested an urgent discussion to finalize security arrangements. The request demanded that by Monday the Shin Bet security service and the Courts Administration present judges with details of the arrangements for the prime minister’s testimony, specifying how many hours a day and days a week are deemed safe for him to spend in court.
A schedule is expected to be drawn up in the coming days. According to Hebrew media reports Thursday, Netanyahu is seeking to reduce the number of days spent in court each week, citing the need to reduce the potential security risk.
Unless other arrangements are made, Netanyahu is set to testify three days a week, for around six hours a day.
This is not the first time the court has needed to make changes to accommodate the rare case of a sitting prime minister going on trial on allegations of criminal activity. Following his indictment in 2020, the court scrambled to build a larger space to house the trials, given the level of intense public interest.
Netanyahu has consistently denied any wrongdoing in all three cases, which revolve around allegations of gift-taking and attempts to parlay his official powers for more flattering media coverage. He has claimed without offering evidence that the charges were fabricated in a witch hunt led by the police and state prosecution.
