The criminal trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed on Tuesday morning after Monday’s hearing was canceled, but the session was again shortened due to “security reasons.”
Presiding judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham announced at the start of the hearing that it would end at 1:30 p.m. instead of 4:30 p.m., following a preliminary discussion held in their chambers with Netanyahu present.
Monday’s hearing had been canceled at the last minute due to “diplomatic and security reasons,” with the court saying Tuesday’s session would proceed as scheduled. The shortened hearing comes amid heightened regional security tensions and continued high-level consultations by the prime minister.
The trial is currently in its defense phase, with Netanyahu being cross-examined by the prosecution over Case 2000, the media bribery case involving Yediot Aharonot publisher and owner Arnon “Noni” Mozes.
Netanyahu is charged in the case with fraud and breach of trust
The case centers on recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Mozes. According to the indictment, the two discussed a possible arrangement under which Mozes would improve Netanyahu’s coverage in Yediot Aharonot in exchange for steps that would limit Israel Hayom, a rival newspaper whose free distribution posed a major economic threat to Yediot Aharonot.
Netanyahu is charged in the case with fraud and breach of trust, while Mozes is charged with offering and promising a bribe. Both deny the allegations.
During Tuesday’s cross-examination, prosecutor Yonatan Tadmor pressed Netanyahu on Mozes’s claim in his police questioning that Netanyahu had sought to cross the line from fair coverage into favorable coverage.
Netanyahu rejected the claim, saying he had not expected positive coverage from Yediot Aharonot and had only sought to prevent what he viewed as unfair coverage, particularly of his family.
Tadmor also challenged Netanyahu’s explanation that one of his reasons for meeting with Mozes was to encourage the sale of Yediot Aharonot, arguing that this explanation only appeared later in Netanyahu’s police questioning and did not reflect the real purpose of the 2014 meetings.
Netanyahu said that was “the truth,” and argued that Mozes was not merely a media figure but a powerful political actor. He said the meetings were meant to push for the sale of Yediot Aharonot, gather information, and block legislation that would have harmed Israel Hayom.
According to Netanyahu, Mozes had “taken over” parts of his coalition through the Israel Hayom bill, which sought to limit the free newspaper’s distribution. Netanyahu said he viewed the bill as a threat to media diversity and denied promising Mozes anything in return.
Tadmor questioned why Netanyahu and Mozes met repeatedly over a short period if the discussions were merely political sparring or centered on a possible sale of the newspaper. Netanyahu answered that repeated meetings were necessary to advance such a move and said the talks were also a way to understand and counter a political rival.
Netanyahu further denied that he had ever promised to limit Israel Hayom, saying no one could make such a promise on behalf of the paper’s late owner, Sheldon Adelson.
The broader trial, which began in 2020, includes three cases. Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust in Cases 1000 and 2000, and with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in Case 4000. He has denied wrongdoing and has repeatedly argued that the cases against him are politically motivated.