JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday to respond to corruption charges brought against him in the so-called “Case 4000.”

Netanyahu faces charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three separate cases that could result in a prison sentence if he is convicted. He denies all the accusations.

During Wednesday’s session, Netanyahu cited a phone call with leaders of the Jewish community in Australia as grounds to temporarily suspend the hearing, which later resumed, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Fifteen people were killed on Sunday when two shooters opened fire along the beach in Sydney.

Netanyahu is expected to continue appearing before the court until it finishes hearing his responses to the charges against him.

Orly Barlev, an Israeli journalist who has been following Netanyahu’s trial, said on US social media company X that today marks the 63rd day of the premier’s testimony, the 28th day of cross-examination, and the 10th day of testimony in Case 4000.

The hearing comes amid ongoing Israeli divisions over Netanyahu’s request for a pardon from President Isaac Herzog, with opinions split between supporters and opponents.

On Nov. 30, Netanyahu asked Herzog to grant him a pardon for the corruption charges he faces, without admitting guilt or withdrawing from political life.

Since the start of his trial, Netanyahu has refused to plead guilty, while Israeli law allows the president to grant a pardon only after an admission of guilt.

The Israeli premier has repeatedly sought to cancel or shorten his court sessions, citing travel, security and political reasons, or his preoccupation with Israel’s two-year military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

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 faces three separate cases of corruption, all of which the Israeli premier denies.

The Israeli premier 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 70,700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.