Netanyahu corruption trial to resume Sunday following truce

• ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial will resume on Sunday after being suspended during the war with Iran.
• The judicial proceedings are restarting because 'Israel' lifted its nationwide state of emergency following the recently announced ceasefire.

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial is set to resume on Sunday, according to a courts' spokesperson.

The judicial proceedings were temporarily suspended during a nationwide state of emergency imposed due to the recent war with Iran, which has now been lifted following a ceasefire agreement.

State of emergency lifted

The state of emergency, which had forced the closure of schools and workplaces across ‘Israel’, was officially lifted on Wednesday evening. 

Authorities noted that no incoming Iranian missiles had been reported since 3 a.m. following the implementation of the ceasefire. 

A statement from the ‘Israeli’ courts confirmed, "With the lifting of the state of emergency and the return of the judicial system to work, hearings will resume as usual," noting that sessions will take place between Sundays and Wednesdays.

Pardon requests and political fallout

Netanyahu, who is the first sitting ‘Israeli’ prime minister to be criminally charged, vehemently denies all allegations of “bribery, fraud, and breach of trust”. 

The charges were brought forward in 2019 after years of investigations, with the trial officially commencing in 2020. The proceedings have faced repeated delays due to his official commitments and currently have no projected end date.

United States President Donald Trump has recently echoed Netanyahu's calls for ‘Israeli’ President Isaac Herzog to grant a pardon, arguing that regular court appearances hinder his ability to govern effectively. 

In response, Herzog's office stated that the justice ministry's pardons department will gather legal opinions to submit to the president's legal adviser, although granting a pardon mid-trial is highly unusual.

The ongoing legal battles, compounded by the political fallout from the Hamas attacks on ‘Israel’ in October 2023, have severely damaged Netanyahu's public standing.