Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up his marathon testimony in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 on Wednesday, delivering an impassioned closing statement from the witness stand denouncing a decade of investigations as a 'vile, false, malicious' witch hunt that ruined families and sought to undermine the public's right to choose him as leader.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded his testimony in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 at the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday, June 24, delivering a fiery roughly 10-minute closing statement from the witness stand. The session ended shortly after 09:37 Jerusalem with Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman thanking all parties and closing the proceedings, according to an N12 report first cited by The Zioneer at 09:37. In his final remarks, Netanyahu denounced the decade-long investigation as a 'hell' that used police, investigators, and the Pegasus spyware in a fruitless search for 'something, anything,' and compared the legal system to the Stasi. The court has not yet set a date for closing arguments — a separate proceeding that will follow the conclusion of testimony.
The hearing marked the end of a marathon that stretched over more than a year and a half and 98 session days. The Zioneer first reported the defense's indication that the testimony would end today at 09:37 Jerusalem, citing Amit Haddad's statement to the court. At 09:37, the desk published three sequential versions reflecting the progression — from the defense's forewarning, through reports of Netanyahu's belief that he had 'won' the ordeal politically, to the official conclusion. By 11:53 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had updated with Netanyahu's initial critical remarks from the stand, noting his characterization of the process as 'vile, false, malicious.' The full closing statement, with its 10-year 'hell' language, represents the emphatic culmination of that thread.
The context of the trial extends beyond Netanyahu's witness stand performance. On Tuesday, June 16, at 14:27 and 15:15 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the cross-examination had concluded — the prosecution's questioning ended after more than a year — with the state saying it had no further questions, and that the same session had been shortened on security-diplomatic grounds. A subsequent report on Monday, June 22, at 10:03 Jerusalem, quoted the Prime Minister accusing the prosecution of having 'set a trap' for him during the re-cross-examination. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman has presided over these proceedings.
What remains open is the scheduling of closing arguments, which will form the next major phase of the trial. The specific date for those hearings has not yet been set by the court.
5 developments
- StrongNetanyahu's testimony scheduled to end today at 14:00
- DevelopingNetanyahu's testimony begins; defense lawyers avoid committing to timeline
- DevelopingNetanyahu defense re-cross-examination in Case 2000 concludes for the day
- StrongNetanyahu blasts prosecution in closing cross-examination: 'You will spend your lives in court'
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