World
NewsOnScale Staff
September 30, 2026
Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted in 2019. His trial began in May 2020. Six years later, there is still no verdict.
Israel's prime minister faces bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges in three cases. Case 1000 alleges he and his family took expensive gifts, including cigars and champagne, from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. Case 2000 alleges he negotiated with the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth for favorable coverage. Case 4000, the most serious, alleges he handed regulatory favors to the owner of the Bezeq telecom giant in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news site. It carries the bribery charge, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing. He has called the prosecution an "attempted coup."
**A trial that keeps stopping**
The case has been paused for COVID-19, for the war in Gaza after October 7, and again this spring for the war with Iran. It has stalled over repeated disputes between prosecution and defense.
Netanyahu took the stand in December 2024, the first sitting Israeli prime minister to testify as a criminal defendant. Cross-examination began in June 2025. It took until June 2026, and 98 hearings, to finish his testimony.
When hearings were set to resume after a monthslong break in April, his testimony was canceled at the last minute. His lawyer cited security concerns.
His lawyers have pushed back on the pace itself, telling the court that hearings five days a week would be like "the Eichmann trial."
**The pardon he asked for**
Netanyahu asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon. Herzog rebuffed it and instead proposed mediating a new plea deal between the attorney general and Netanyahu's lawyer. No deal has been reached.
**The election strategy**
Israel votes in late October. About 20 hearings are expected before then, with both sides accused of stalling to buy time. Netanyahu's lawyers now want to call the men who built the case against him: former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, and former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan. Israeli media expect him to use the witness stand, where ministers and close allies will testify, as a campaign platform.
Haaretz reports that if Netanyahu wins, he is expected to move to replace Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in an effort to get the indictment dropped. Meanwhile, he has renewed his push for judicial reform, saying his trial has built public support for reshaping Israel's courts. Critics have long accused him of using that reform to escape his own legal jeopardy.
**Wanted abroad**
Separately, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over the war in Gaza. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he should be arrested if he visits the city.
Six years in, the most powerful defendant in Israel is still on trial, still in office, and still running.
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