Netanyahu trial: Interrogation in Case 4000 continues despite unexpected request for pardon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal proceedings continued on Monday morning, taking place shortly after his appeal for a pardon was submitted to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday. Netanyahu, indicted in 2020, faces charges including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate investigations: Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.

The trial's cross-examination stage began in June, initially concentrating on Case 1000. In the past two weeks, the focus shifted to Case 4000, where Netanyahu is accused of granting regulatory advantages worth hundreds of millions of shekels to telecommunications magnate Shaul Elovitch in return for favorable coverage on the Walla news site, which Elovitch owned.

During Monday's session, Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh scrutinized discrepancies between Netanyahu's past descriptions and interactions with Walla from 2013 to 2015 and the testimony he provided earlier this year during his direct examination.

The hearing opened with a defense request to cancel the scheduled session on Tuesday due to security-related conflicts, promising to provide details in a sealed envelope. The prosecution raised no objections but asked that an extra hour of testimony be added to Wednesday's proceedings. Presiding Judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moseh Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham approved the defense request and canceled Tuesday's session.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was photographed speaking at the Knesset on November 30, 2025, with President Isaac Herzog observing the proceedings. (Credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Author: Sophia Brooks