Five years after the start of his corruption trial, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu underwent cross-examination for the first time on Tuesday.
Mr Netanyahu is facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies.
The first cross-examination session on Tuesday focused on allegations that he had received gifts from wealthy benefactors. Mr Netanyahu claimed that the gifts were due to the close personal relations he developed with certain billionaires. He denied that the presents, which included cigars, champagne and jewellery, were given in return for favours.
The prosecution noted one occasion when Sara Netanyahu, Mr Netanyahu’s wife, asked Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan to buy a large Bugs Bunny doll for their son, later asking him to exchange it for a larger one. Mr Netanyahu claimed he could not remember the gift.
Prosecution lawyer Yonatan Tadmor raised the question of Mr Netanyahu’s memory. “You don’t have problems with your memory, right?” he asked.
“We all do, from time to time,” Mr Netanyahu answered, before Mr Tadmor reminded him that on 1,788 occasions during his investigation he had claimed an inability to remember, implying this was the answer he gave when he preferred to avoid uncomfortable questions.
Mr Netanyahu is the first sitting prime minister in Israeli history to have taken the stand as a defendant. His questioning over the last few months by the defence legal team has been chaotic. Numerous sessions have been cancelled, delayed or finished early due to pressing matters of state, most connected to the Gaza war. In almost every court appearance Mr Netanyahu has received notes from aides updating him on military and diplomatic developments.
This has strengthened the arguments of opponents of Mr Netanyahu who claim that in a country such as Israel – particularly in the midst of a 20-month war – it is simply impossible for a prime minister to appear in court three times a week for months on end.
Mr Netanyahu faces corruption charges in three cases.
The first, known as Case 1,000, centres on gifts he allegedly received from Mr Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.
Case 2,000 focuses on an illicit deal he allegedly tried to strike with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, to ensure positive coverage.
Case 4,000 centres on an alleged deal by which Shaul Elovitch, then the controlling shareholder of Israeli telecom corporation Bezeq, ensured positive coverage of the Netanyahu family by the Walla! news website, which Mr Elovitch owned, in exchange for the prime minister promoting government regulations worth the equivalent of hundreds of millions of euro to the company.
Mr Netanyahu denies all of the allegations, claiming the graft claims are nothing more than a witch hunt by the left, supported by the judiciary and media, in an effort to topple him from power.
It is expected the cross-examination stage may continue into 2026, with the trial itself lasting at least another two years.
Even if Mr Netanyahu is eventually convicted, and assuming he appeals, legally he would be required to resign only after the final judgment of Israel’s supreme court, which could take a further few years.
According to Israeli law, the maximum punishment is 10 years in jail for a bribery conviction, but this scenario is unlikely since the judges have already recommended that the prosecution drop the bribery charges. The punishment for fraud and breach of trust is three years in jail.
