Israel’s Netanyahu appears in court for 12th time in his corruption trial

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court on Monday to answer corruption charges brought against him.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, Netanyahu showed off in the Tel Aviv District Court, marking his 12th stand in his corruption trial that resumed on Dec. 10, 2024.
The Israeli premier appears before the court three days a week to defend himself against corruption accusations.

Israeli Channel 12 said Netanyahu has asked judges to reduce his court appearances from three days per week to two.

According to the news channel, the Israeli premier requested a closed court session attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz to justify the reasons behind his request to reduce the number of days he appears before the court.

The channel said that prior to the start of Monday’s hearing session, the court judges decided that the sessions would not extend to more than 14 additional hearing sessions, including today.

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, however, 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 more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.