Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday as proceedings resumed in his long-running corruption trial, Anadolu reports.
Video footage showed Netanyahu entering the courtroom.
Wednesday’s hearing featured testimony from Minister Ze’ev Elkin, whose name appears several times in the indictment related to Case 2000, in which Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust, according to the Israeli daily Maariv.
The trial is scheduled to continue through July 20 before the judiciary begins its summer recess. Proceedings will resume in early September, with judges deciding that hearings will be held five days a week after the court returns from its October holidays, the newspaper said.
Israel is scheduled to hold general elections on Oct. 27, with Netanyahu seeking another term as prime minister.
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases, known as Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000. Then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the indictments in November 2019.
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Case 1000 centers on allegations that Netanyahu and members of his family received expensive gifts from businesspeople in exchange for political favors.
Case 2000 concerns allegations that Netanyahu negotiated with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, to secure favorable media coverage.
Case 4000 alleges that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits to former Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch, who also controlled the local news website Walla, in exchange for favorable coverage.
Netanyahu’s trial began in 2020. He has denied all wrongdoing, describing the charges as “a politically motivated campaign” to remove him from office.
Separately, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu on Nov. 21, 2024, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 73,000 people have been killed in a brutal offensive since October 2023.
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