By SCM REPORTER Jerusalem
ISRAELI PM Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is headed back to the dock this Sunday after his long-running corruption trial was unfrozen. Legal proceedings against the 76-year-old leader were put on ice during a “wartime court freeze” following the recent conflict with Iran.
But with the state of emergency now lifted, the veteran politician must swap the war room for the courtroom to face the music.
Bibi—the first sitting Israeli PM to stand trial—is battling a trio of explosive cases that have dogged his leadership for years.
The Jerusalem District Court confirmed that hearings will resume at 9:30 AM, starting with a defense witness. Under the new schedule, the PM will be in court on Sundays in Jerusalem, before the circus moves to Tel Aviv for the rest of the week.
His Three Sins?
The “King of Israel” faces a mountain of allegations that sound more like a Hollywood script than a political career:
CASE 1000 (The Gifts Affair): Claims he and his wife, Sara, pocketed £200,000 ($260,000) worth of cigars, pink champagne, and jewelry from billionaire pals in exchange for “favours.”
CASE 2000 (The Media Deal): Allegedly plotted with a newspaper mogul to get better coverage by sabotaging a rival paper.
CASE 4000 (The Big One): Accused of granting regulatory “sweetheart deals” worth millions to a telecoms giant in return for glowing headlines.
Netanyahu has slammed the trial as a “witch hunt” and a “political coup,” insisting he is innocent of all charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
The resumption comes just as U.S. President Donald Trump waded into the row, calling for Netanyahu to be pardoned so he can focus on the country’s security.
While Israeli President Isaac Herzog is weighing up the request, legal experts say a “mid-trial pardon” is almost unheard of in the Holy Land.
For now, the man who has survived a dozen political deaths faces his toughest battle yet—and this time, it’s not at the ballot box, but in front of a judge.
The legal saga began in 2019 when the Attorney General dropped the hammer with a formal indictment. Since then, the trial has been a stop-start affair, delayed by global pandemics, multiple elections, and most recently, the regional war.
If convicted of bribery, Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in the slammer. Fraud and breach of trust carry a maximum of three years each.