Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu
On 21 November 2019, Netanyahu was officially indicted for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud, leading him to legally relinquish his ministry portfolios other than prime minister.
Case 1000, opened in December 2016, involves valuable gifts and presents that Netanyahu and his wife received from two wealthy businessmen over the years.
In Case 2000, recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes [he], the chairman and editor of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the largest newspapers in Israel, were discussed.
[7][8] As per the allegations, in 2015, Netanyahu instructed the director general of the Ministry of Communications, Shlomo Filber [he], to aid Milchan in regulatory matters.
This directive was related to a merger deal between the communications companies Reshet and Keshet, with the aim of ensuring the profitability of an investment that Milchan was considering.
[9][10] Case 2000 (also known as the Netanyahu-Mozes affair) is a criminal investigation that concerns the relationship between Netanyahu and the publisher and controlling owner of Yedioth Ahronoth, Arnon Mozes [he].
In exchange Netanyahu should be using his influence to promote legislation that would impose restrictions on Israel Hayom and bring significant financial benefits to Mozes and his businesses.
[12][13] In November 2019, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced that he had decided to file an indictment against Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust and against Moses for attempted bribery.
[20] On 20 December 2018, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said he would "work quickly" on the case, but "not at the expense of quality decisions and professionalism".
[21] On 28 February 2019, the Supreme Court of Israel rejected a motion filed by Netanyahu's Likud Party to stall the publication of the attorney general's recommendations.
[24][25] The hearing took place in October 2019, and on 21 November, Netanyahu was indicted in cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 for charges including breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud.
[31] Many MKs, including Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, Benny Gantz of Blue and White, and Stav Shaffir of the Green Party, criticized the request.
[32] According to The Times of Israel columnist Raoul Wootliff, the election had in effect become a race to gain enough seats so that Netanyahu can successfully request immunity from over half of the MKs.
[35] Consequently, Netanyahu withdrew his bid for immunity on 28 January 2020; the charges against him were thus officially confirmed and filed in Jerusalem District Court on the same day.
Prior to Milchan's testimony, in a private meeting with the prosecution and the defense, the judges suggested that the bribery charges may be difficult to prove, and implored both sides to consider a plea bargain "for the sake of the country".
[56][57] On December 5, 2023, trial judges agreed to reduce the number of court hearings to two days a week due to the security concerns related to the ongoing Israel–Hamas War.
