The judges presiding over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial stated that their position, first formulated in June 2023, remains unchanged — they recommended prosecutors drop the bribery charge against Netanyahu. That recommendation was rejected by the Attorney General and the State Attorney's Office, according to reports from the Yedioth Ahronoth-affiliated desk.
In a dramatic development in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, the presiding judges issued a statement Monday formally reaffirming their June 2023 recommendation that the prosecution drop the bribery charge against Netanyahu. The recommendation was previously rejected by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the State Attorney's Office, according to a report from the Yedioth Ahronoth-affiliated news desk.
Judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham, who have been hearing the case since 2021, first transmitted their preliminary position to the prosecution in June 2023 — after hearing the prime minister's testimony and evaluating the evidence — advising that the bribery count in Case 4000 (the Bezeq-Walla affair) appeared weak and should be withdrawn. The court's public reaffirmation of that stance following Netanyahu's months-long testimony marks an extraordinary judicial intervention into prosecutorial discretion, even as the panel has continued presiding over the trial.
As The Zioneer previously reported, Netanyahu's testimony spanned dozens of sessions since late 2024, concluding recently after 98 days on the stand. The judges' announcement now creates further legal and political pressure, though the trial itself remains ongoing on the remaining charges of fraud and breach of trust in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.
2 developments
- DevelopingCourt rejects Netanyahu's request to shorten testimony tomorrow
- DevelopingBen Gvir: Judges' second ruling to dismiss bribery charge proves 'game over' for prosecution
- DevelopingJudges in Netanyahu trial dismiss prosecution case as baseless, urge acquittal
- DevelopingLegal commentator: If prosecution refuses to drop bribery charge against Netanyahu, appeal to Supreme Court would be 'delusional'
Source and signal
- Internal intake