Israeli premier appears before court for 18th time in corruption trial

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand in the Tel Aviv District Court for the 18th time in his corruption trial on Monday, local media said.

Netanyahu appears twice before the court to defend himself against the charges.

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the Israeli premier is scheduled to appear in six more court sessions.

During Monday’s trial session, dozens of Israelis demonstrated outside the courthouse against Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security service, Ronen Bar, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

The government is set to review the premier’s proposal on Wednesday.

Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet have escalated following the agency’s internal investigation into the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Netanyahu dismissed the report’s findings, saying they failed to answer key questions.

Netanyahu faces three separate cases of corruption filed in 2019 against him: 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 48,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.