Netanyahu to oppose five-day hearing week in criminal trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to oppose a judicial panel's decision to expand his ongoing criminal trial hearings to five days a week, beginning in October. The trial, which commenced in 2020 with charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, has seen Netanyahu testify for approximately 18 months.

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His time on the stand began with direct examination by his defense team, which established his version of events before the court, and in response to the allegations laid out in the indictment.

Netanyahu concluded his testimony in December 2024, eight years after investigations began. His time on the stand included direct examination by his defense team, followed by cross-examination by prosecutors who sought to test his account and highlight inconsistencies. His defense team then conducted a re-examination to clarify points raised during the prosecution's questioning.

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Cross-examination gave prosecutors the opportunity to test Netanyahu’s account, confront him with documents and prior statements, and challenge gaps or inconsistencies in his testimony.

The presiding judges ordered the expansion of hearing days to five per week for the remaining witnesses, starting after the High Holidays on October 4. This decision aims to manage the demanding schedule of the case, especially considering the expected retirement of one of the judges, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, in March 2028.

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it allows them to clarify matters raised in cross-examination and respond to issues that emerged there - rather than reopen Netanyahu’s testimony from the start.

Previously, testimonies were heard over three days a week, adjusted to accommodate the schedules of the court and the prime minister. The hearings were already expanded to four days a week in September 2025, a move the defense team had strongly opposed due to the added burden on their already intensive schedules, as they represent other clients. The bench, however, ultimately decided to proceed with the four-day schedule at that time.

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ordered that the remaining witnesses be heard in the Jerusalem District Court - and that when the next judicial calendar begins after the High Holidays, on October 4, that the testimonies be heard over five days.