Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his first court appearance in a corruption trial on Tuesday under a court ruling that will likely force him to juggle between the courtroom and the war room for weeks.
The investigation into Benjamin Netanyahu was launched in December 2016. He was questioned by police in early January 2017 and was formally charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust on November 21, 2019. There are a total of three cases against the current Israeli prime minister: “Case 1000,” “Case 2000” and “Case 4000.”
The first is related to the receipt of expensive gifts from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchen and Australian-Israeli billionaire James Packer for a total of more than 700 thousand shekels (about $196 thousand) by Netanyahu and his family. Among them are expensive cigars, champagne and other luxury items.
In return, Netanyahu allegedly patronised the businessmen between 2011 and 2016 (for example, he allegedly helped Milchen obtain a US visa and promoted the abolition of double taxation for Israelis living abroad). As part of the case, the prime minister faces charges of fraud and breach of trust.
“Case 2000” is about the alleged collusion between Netanyahu and the owner of the newspaper “Yediot Ahronot” Arnon Mozes. According to the investigation, Mozes allegedly asked Netanyahu to influence the business of a competitor, the popular Israel Hayom, in exchange for more favourable coverage of the politician’s activities in the pages of the newspaper. Specifically, they allegedly discussed the possibility of passing a law that would limit the circulation of Israel Hayom. Netanyahu also faces charges of fraud and breach of trust as part of the case.
The most serious case
“Case 4000” is the most serious of the three; according to the prosecution’s version, Netanyahu gave regulatory preferences to Shaul Elovitch, the owner of the Bezeq telecommunications company, which benefited the latter financially to the tune of hundreds of millions of shekels.
In return, Elovitch allegedly provided positive coverage of Netanyahu’s policies on the Walla news website he owned. Ilan Yehoshua, the portal’s former executive director, said he was instructed to remove all negative notes about the Israeli prime minister from the site and to publish articles criticising his political opponents. Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust as part of the case.
The Israeli prime minister could face up to ten years for bribery, and up to three years for fraud and breach of trust.
On January 1, 2020, Netanyahu asked parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution in corruption cases. But later that month, he withdrew his petition to, as he himself explained, prevent his opponents from “using this issue to interfere in the historic process” of agreeing with then US President Donald Trump on the parameters of the “deal of the century” on a Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied all the charges against him, accusing opponents of witch-hunting and attempts to discredit his premiership. Despite the seriousness of the accusations, he not only stayed in politics, but in 2022 he managed to win parliamentary elections again and lead the country after the short-lived coalition government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
A case involving a German company
Netanyahu could face criminal prosecution in another case. In 2022, during Naftali Bennett’s premiership, a special state commission was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the $2 million deals to purchase submarines and corvettes from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp AG (also known as “Case 3000”).
In June 2024, the commission sent a letter to Netanyahu alleging that he made decisions on deals with Thyssenkrupp that had “significant security implications” in violation of accepted norms and bypassed his own government. The 11-page document said Netanyahu’s actions “jeopardised national security and damaged Israel’s international relations.” However, the prime minister has not yet been charged in the case.
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since October 8, 2023. Israel, however, has not ratified the Rome Statute and does not recognise its jurisdiction.
