After US visit, Israeli prime minister appears before court for 22nd time in his corruption trial
Court rejects Netanyahu’s request to postpone his trial session due to his visit to Washington
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the Tel Aviv District Court for the 22nd time on Wednesday to defend himself against the corruption charges.
Netanyahu headed to the court shortly after his plane landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after returning from the US, where he met with President Donald Trump, Israeli Channel 12 reported.
The Israeli premier sought to postpone his trial session due to his visit to Washington, but the court rejected his request.
Netanyahu appears in court twice a week to defend himself against corruption charges. He is scheduled to attend 24 court sessions in total.
Netanyahu faces three separate corruption cases filed against him in 2019 – Case 1,000, Case 2,000, and Case 4,000 – which include accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He 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 50,800 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.
