Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his ongoing corruption trial, which began in May 2020.
Netanyahu, accompanied by several ministers from his Likud party, smiled as protesters heckled him outside the courthouse. His appearance follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent call for the Israeli leader to be pardoned over his three corruption cases.
The court session also came days after the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire initiative in the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting luxury gifts — including champagne, cigars, and jewelry worth more than $260,000 — from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favours. He also faces charges of attempting to secure favourable media coverage from two Israeli outlets. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, claiming he is the target of a political witch hunt.
Since his return to office in late 2022, Netanyahu has pushed controversial judicial reforms that critics argue would weaken Israel’s judiciary. Those plans triggered months of mass protests that only subsided after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In an address to Israel’s parliament earlier this week, Trump urged President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, dismissing the charges as trivial. “Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump said.
The Israeli prime minister also faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes related to his government’s military operations in Gaza.
Netanyahu remains Israel’s longest-serving leader, with more than 18 years in office across multiple terms since 1996.
