World ( The cow news digital ) An Israeli court hearing the long-running corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again urged prosecutors to reconsider the bribery charge in one of the three criminal cases against him, citing the difficulty of securing a conviction on that count.
The recommendation mirrors a similar observation made by the court nearly three years ago, when judges noted that proving the bribery allegation could be legally challenging. However, prosecutors have so far declined to withdraw the charge, allowing the trial to proceed.
During the latest hearing, Netanyahu’s defense lawyer, Amit Hadad, argued that retaining the bribery charge would significantly extend the legal proceedings. He told the court that hundreds of additional witnesses would need to testify if the charge remains, potentially delaying the conclusion of the trial until 2028. The corruption proceedings against Netanyahu have been underway since 2020.
The court also suggested increasing the pace of hearings to five days a week in an effort to accelerate the trial. Both the prosecution and the defense objected to the proposal, expressing concerns about the practical impact of such an intensive schedule.
Hadad compared the proposed hearing schedule to the historic trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann, arguing that such a pace would be unreasonable for a complex modern criminal case.
At the center of the bribery allegations is Case 4000, also known as the Bezeq-Walla case. Prosecutors allege that Netanyahu, while serving as prime minister and communications minister, granted regulatory benefits worth millions of shekels to telecommunications company Bezeq. In return, prosecutors claim the company’s controlling shareholder, Shaul Elovitch, ensured favorable coverage of Netanyahu and his family through the Walla news website.
Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations, describing the cases as politically motivated and insisting that he has committed no wrongdoing.
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In addition to Case 4000, the Israeli prime minister faces charges in two other corruption cases. Case 1000 concerns allegations that he accepted expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen, while Case 2000 centers on claims that he sought favorable media coverage in exchange for limiting the circulation of a competing newspaper.
The court has not issued a final ruling on the bribery charge, and the trial is expected to continue as prosecutors and defense lawyers present further evidence in one of Israel’s most closely watched legal proceedings.
