Israeli prime minister appears in court for 16th time in his corruption trial

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Betul Yilmaz

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Monday in the Tel Aviv District Court to defend himself against corruption charges.

It was Netanyahu’s 16th appearance before the court since his resumption of corruption trial began on Dec. 10, 2024. He is scheduled to appear in eight more court sessions, according to Israel’s Army Radio.

The Israeli premier appears twice before the court to defend himself against the charges.

Netanyahu faces three separate cases of corruption filed in 2019 against him: Case 1,000, Case 2,000, and Case 4,000, which include accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing, calling the accusations “fake.”

Netanyahu, whose trial began on May 24, 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history.

Under Israeli law, he is not required to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court, a process that could take several months.

Netanyahu also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where nearly 48,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.