Israeli premier appears before court as judges shorten his corruption hearing

The Tel Aviv District Court approved a request by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shorten Monday's trial session on corruption charges to attend a "political meeting."

Netanyahu appeared again before the court to answer corruption charges against him in Case 4000, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN.

Case 4000 involves allegations that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits to Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the news site Walla and a senior figure at the telecommunications company Bezeq, in exchange for favorable media coverage.

KAN said the court approved Netanyahu's request to shorten Monday's session due to his commitment to an unspecified political meeting.

The judges had previously approved Netanyahu's request to cancel last Wednesday's hearing, which he attributed to "security reasons."

Yet on the same day, he conducted a field tour in the buffer zone in Syria's occupied Golan Heights.

Netanyahu has repeatedly requested the cancellation or shortening of his trial sessions, citing travel, security, and political reasons, or the Israeli war in Gaza.

In January, Netanyahu's trial sessions began on corruption charges in cases designated 1000, 2000 and 4000, all of which he denies.

The Israeli premier also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where nearly 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.