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The criminal trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to resume on Sunday amid the ceasefire with Iran, but the leader asked Friday to delay his testimony in the trial, potentially extending years of legal proceedings amid a conspiracy over whether Netanyahu is prolonging the Iran conflict for his own benefit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19.
Poole/AFP via Getty Images
important facts
israeli court system Said Netanyahu’s trial would resume later this week, it said Thursday, after Israel lifted its state of emergency that had since closed the courts to all non-essential proceedings. end of february.
Netanyahu’s lawyer asked the prime minister to refrain from testifying in the case for “at least two weeks” in a court filing on Friday, however, citing “classified security and diplomatic reasons” linked to “dramatic events” in the Middle East. reuters.
Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust and has been on trial in the case since 2020, although there have been repeated intermittent delays due to military action in Israel causing the proceedings to be temporarily halted, particularly after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and the upcoming Gaza War.
President Donald Trump has denounced the case against Netanyahu as a “witch hunt” and has repeatedly pressured Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon him, most recently. Saying In March he said he “didn’t want Bibi to have any more trouble besides a war with Iran”, calling Netanyahu by his nickname.
As Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon threatens the ceasefire agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said guessed On Thursday that Israel and the US were deliberately escalating the Iran conflict to keep Netanyahu out of the court, X wrote, “A region-wide ceasefire, including Lebanon, would be quick to send (Netanyahu) to jail.”
Araghchi said Iran is “ready” if the ceasefire breaks down, writing, “If the United States wants to damage its economy by allowing Netanyahu to dismantle diplomacy, that will ultimately be its choice.”
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The court has yet to rule on whether to grant Netanyahu’s request to delay his testimony. It is unclear how long Netanyahu’s trial will last if it resumes, and whether the prime minister will ultimately be convicted. If convicted, Netanyahu faces up to 10 years in prison on the bribery count and up to three years on each fraud and breach of trust charge, Reuters notes. He has continued to serve as prime minister while the trial continues, and even if he were convicted, Israeli law would allow him to remain in power while he appeals the charges. Herzog has not yet given any indication that he intends to grant clemency to Netanyahu, and Reuters notes To do so in the middle of a trial would be unprecedented in Israel.
Why is Netanyahu being prosecuted?
Netanyahu was first indicted in 2019 and has been charged in three counts, largely accusing the leader of improperly accepting gifts or favorable coverage in exchange for political favors. He has pleaded innocent to all charges against him and has denied wrongdoing, as have his co-conspirators.
Case 4000: Prosecutors allege that Netanyahu almost gave permission $500 million In exchange for influence over Walla, a news website controlled by Elovich that covered Netanyahu and his wife, Israeli telecom mogul Shaul Elovich and his companies were provided regulatory assistance. Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for his alleged “reciprocal arrangement” with Elovich.
Case 1000: Netanyahu was accused of fraud and breach of trust for receiving gifts worth about $200,000 from Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and billionaire James Packer, notably champagne and cigars. In return, Netanyahu reportedly helped Milchan’s business interests between 2011 and 2016, although the prime minister claims the gifts were merely symbols of friendship.
Case 2000: Prosecutors allege that Netanyahu negotiated a quid pro quo arrangement with Arnon Moses of media group Yedioth Ahronoth in 2014, accusing Netanyahu of fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu reportedly promised to promote legislation that would harm Yedioth Ahronoth’s rival newspaper in exchange for favorable coverage of Yedioth Ahronoth, although there are no allegations that he actually pushed the legislation.
Conspiracy over Netanyahu’s continuous action in Iran
Araghchi’s Thursday post is in line with this Comprehensive Estimate Netanyahu has escalated military action in the Middle East to delay his own corruption trial and possible conviction, although there is no confirmation of this. New York Times opinion columnist Thomas Friedman said, “Keeping Israel at war with Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah helps Netanyahu advance his corruption prosecution.” wrote In March, he further said, “If you think this is too cynical, you don’t know Netanyahu.” The Israeli leader faced similar accusations of using Israel’s war to his advantage against Hamas and the Arab Center Washington DC argued Said in April 2025 that Netanyahu’s “central focus” since the trial began “has been on avoiding judicial accountability.”
main background
Trump announced on Tuesday that the US has reached a ceasefire with Iran. Israel has continued to carry out deadly attacks in Lebanon following the agreement, however, as part of Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. Continued attacks in Lebanon have jeopardized the fragile ceasefire agreement and led to confusion over whether Lebanon was involved, with the Trump administration claiming Iran was mistaken in assuming so. The Associated Press informed On Thursday, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to take place next week, and Netanyahu said he had “repeatedly requested” talks with Beirut and wanted to “start direct talks with Lebanon as soon as possible.” The Israeli leader has given no indication that Israel plans to curb its attacks in the meantime, however, he said in a video message on Thursday that Israel “will continue to attack Hezbollah with force and will not stop until we restore security”.
