Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to reduce his corruption trial days

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday rejected a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense team to reduce the number of days he is required to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, according to local media.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who heads a panel presiding over Netanyahu’s trial, rejected his request to testify on three days weekly instead of four.

“The hearings will proceed as planned,” the Israeli judge said.

On Oct. 13, US President Donald Trump called during a speech at the Knesset on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon from the corruption charges.

Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to discuss on Sunday a draft bill to delay Netanyahu’s trials without a limit, according to the Times of Israel news site. If approved, the bill will be submitted to the Knesset for deliberations.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara strongly opposes any bill that “allows political considerations to gain a foothold in the criminal process,” the outlet said.

In January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions related to charges in the cases designated 1000, 2000, and 4000, all of which he denies.

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.

He 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 over 68,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.