Israeli court rules Netanyahu must testify at his corruption trial starting in December

9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin testifying in his corruption trial on December 2, the Jerusalem District Court said, after his lawyers asked a couple of weeks ago that his appearance not be held until March 2025.

The court said it had taken into account Netanyahu’s exceptional situation and that the time frame set in Tuesday’s ruling was sufficient to prepare him for wartime, but “with the public interest in moving the case forward,” The Times of Israel reported.

In late June, Netanyahu’s legal team claimed that he would not be able to testify until March 2025 due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Justice ordered the suspension of almost any case that was not considered urgent.

However, in early November 2023, the Jerusalem District Court resumed the corruption trial against Netanyahu, who is accused in three cases of crimes such as fraud or accepting bribes, although he has always denounced that it is all part of political persecution. In fact, he managed to return to power for a sixth term with the trials already open at the end of 2022.