Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received good news on Monday: the testimony phase of his trial will only begin after the March 23 elections in Israel.
Why it matters: Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, breach of trust and fraud in connection with a series of corruption scandals. Had the testimony and presentation of evidence started before the election, it could have dominated the news cycle and hurt his hopes of gaining a majority.
- Instead, they will begin with three sessions a week on April 5, the judges overseeing the trial announced Monday.
- The bad news for Netanyahu is that the hearings will tie into the post-election process of trying to form a government.
- Between the lines: A new right-wing majority would likely pass laws to end Netanyahu’s trial.
Flashback: In the court hearing two weeks ago in which Netanyahu pleaded not guilty, his lawyers asked that the testimony phase be postponed for another three to four months. They cited procedural reasons and did not mention the elections.
- But hours after Netanyahu left the courtroom, he denounced the charges against him and pleaded for a postponement until after the election, saying that starting the hearing before March 23 “would look 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 pieces of evidence be rejected because they were allegedly collected illegally. They criticized the attorney general for the procedure authorizing the investigation into Netanyahu.