Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received good news on Monday: the testimony phase of his trial will not begin until after the March 23 Israeli elections.
Why it’s important: Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud in connection with a series of corruption scandals. If the testimony of witnesses and the presentation of evidence began before the election, it could have dominated the news cycle and hurt their hopes of winning the majority.
- Instead, they will begin on April 5 with three hearings a week, the judges overseeing the trial announced Monday.
- The bad news for Netanyahu is that audiences will adjust to the post-election process of trying to form a government.
- Between lines: A new right-wing majority would probably pass laws that would try to end Netanyahu’s trial.
Flashback: At the court hearing two weeks ago in which Netanyahu pleaded not guilty, his lawyers called for the statement phase to be postponed for another three to four months. They cited procedural reasons and did not mention the election.
- But several hours after Netanyahu left the courtroom, he denounced the charges against him and argued for a postponement until after the election and said starting the hearing before March 23 “would seem like blatant interference in the election “.
Driving the news: The judges rejected Netanyahu’s demands that two of the charges against him be quashed on procedural grounds and that some evidence be banned because they were allegedly collected illegally. They criticized the attorney general for the process by which the investigation into Netanyahu was authorized.