Netanyahu corruption trial to resume as Israel lifts war emergency
The two-week ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US allows Israeli courts to resume the Prime Minister's trial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's years-long corruption trial will resume this week, Reuters reported on 9 April, after Israel lifted a state of emergency following a ceasefire with Iran.
"With the lifting of the state of emergency and the return of the judicial system to work, hearings will resume as usual," a statement from the Israeli courts said.
Hearings are now scheduled to take place between Sundays and Wednesdays.
Netanyahu was first indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, following years of investigations. His trial, which began in 2020, was repeatedly interrupted, mainly due to Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza that began in October 2023.
The trial, which could result in prison time for Netanyahu, was again delayed after he and US President Donald Trump launched an unprovoked war on Iran on 28 February.
Tel Aviv announced the state of emergency, bringing the prime minister's trial to a halt once more, in anticipation of Iran's retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Tel Aviv.
Trump and Netanyahu have both called on Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, to issue a pardon for the prime minister, claiming the impact of regular court appearances affects his ability to carry out his duties.
Herzog's office has said the justice ministry's pardons department will gather opinions on the issue to submit to the president's legal adviser, who will formulate a recommendation.
The charges against Netanyahu have damaged his standing in Israel, which is due to hold elections in October. According to Reuters, Netanyahu's coalition, which includes religious settler ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, is likely to lose the elections.
Along with Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben Gvir have sought to lengthen the time of Israel's wars and have openly called for the destruction of Gaza and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the strip and from the West Bank.
Israeli critics of Netanyahu say he wished to prolong the genocide in Gaza to ensure his trial could not resume, therefore allowing him to remain in power.