Tel Aviv, Israel – December 4, 2025 – Israeli prosecutors on Wednesday resumed intense questioning of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court, pressing forward with his long-running corruption trial despite a dramatic weekend request for a presidential pardon that has deepened divisions within the nation. The session, the second since Netanyahu's bold appeal to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, unfolded under tight security in an underground bunker courtroom, a measure adopted for safety reasons amid ongoing regional tensions. Netanyahu, who has steadfastly denied all charges, left the proceedings twice due to interruptions in his testimony, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, highlighting the grueling pace of what could be years of cross-examination.
The hearing centered on Case 4000, widely regarded as the most damning of the three indictments against Netanyahu, involving allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Prosecutors accuse the prime minister of orchestrating regulatory favors worth an estimated 1.8 billion shekels (about $500 million) for Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of telecommunications giant Bezeq and the influential Walla news website. In exchange, Elovitch allegedly provided Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, with glowing media coverage on Walla, including over 300 positive articles and edits to suppress critical stories between 2012 and 2017. A heated verbal clash erupted between Netanyahu's lead attorney, Amit Hadad, and lead prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh over evidentiary objections, with Hadad accusing the prosecution of selective outrage. The court adjourned briefly to resolve the dispute, but not before Netanyahu, visibly frustrated, banged on the table and decried the process as a political witch hunt designed to ruin his life.
Netanyahu's testimony in the trial began in earnest in December 2024, marking a historic first for a sitting Israeli prime minister. The cases – numbered 1000, 2000, and 4000 – stem from investigations launched in 2016 under then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Case 1000 involves illicit gifts of cigars, champagne, and jewelry valued at around 700,000 shekels ($210,000) from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer, allegedly in return for Netanyahu's advocacy on their business interests, including visa extensions and tax breaks. Case 2000 alleges a covert deal with Arnon Mozes, publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, to curb distribution of the rival Israel Hayom newspaper – a free pro-Netanyahu daily funded by his backer Sheldon Adelson – in exchange for slanted coverage. Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to all counts, framing the indictments as retaliation by a biased media and judicial elite. If convicted on the bribery charge in Case 4000 alone, he faces up to 10 years in prison, though appeals could extend the saga well into the next decade.
The resumption of questioning comes just days after Netanyahu's unprecedented pardon request, submitted on November 30, 2025, in a one-page letter to Herzog that notably omitted any admission of guilt – a legal prerequisite under Israeli law for most clemency grants. In the document, Netanyahu argued that the trial's fierce controversy was paralyzing governance at a time of existential threats, including the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and escalating tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Herzog's office confirmed receipt of the petition, forwarding it to the Justice Ministry's pardons department for review, with the president expected to weigh in after consultations. Legal experts note that while Herzog holds broad discretion, granting a pre-conviction pardon without contrition could set a perilous precedent for the rule of law, potentially eroding public trust in institutions already strained by five years of protests and political paralysis.
The bid has ignited a firestorm of reactions, amplifying the chasm between Netanyahu's right-wing base and his detractors. Supporters, including Likud party ministers and far-right coalition partners like Itamar Ben-Gvir, hailed it as a path to unity, with Justice Minister Yariv Levin publicly endorsing the move as essential for Israel's survival. U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime ally, amplified the call in a November 12 letter to Herzog, branding the trial a political, unjustified prosecution against a great hero and urging an immediate pardon. Trump's intervention drew accusations of foreign meddling from opposition figures.
Opponents decried the request as an audacious evasion of accountability. Hundreds protested outside the Tel Aviv courthouse on Wednesday, clad in orange prison jumpsuits and chanting "No pardon for the corrupt!" Demonstrators, including survivors of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, argued that Netanyahu's legal woes predate the war and reflect systemic graft. Even within Netanyahu's coalition, fissures emerged: Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely voiced rare dissent, stating a pardon without guilt would undermine justice. On social media, the hashtag #NoPardonForBibi trended heavily, blending calls for impeachment with stark imagery contrasting courtroom appearances with Gaza's devastation.
This domestic tumult unfolds against a grim international backdrop. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The allegations center on the use of starvation as a method of warfare from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024, including deliberate restrictions on food, water, fuel, and medical aid, leading to widespread famine and civilian deaths. Israel, not an ICC member, rejected the warrants as antisemitic, but the decision bars Netanyahu from 124 signatory states, complicating diplomacy.
The Gaza conflict, sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault that killed 1,139 Israelis and took 251 hostages, has exacted a staggering toll. As of early December 2025, Gaza's Health Ministry reports over 70,000 Palestinian deaths – the majority women and children – with more than 160,000 injured. A January 2025 Lancet study estimated traumatic injury deaths alone at over 64,000 by mid-2024, with indirect fatalities from disease and malnutrition pushing totals significantly higher. Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, violations persist: Israel has conducted hundreds of bombings and property demolitions since, while aid convoys face gunfire, killing thousands near distribution sites. The war has orphaned more than 53,000 children and wiped out over 1,200 families.
Critics link Netanyahu's legal maneuvers to his wartime leadership, accusing him of prolonging the conflict to evade domestic reckoning. Netanyahu's allies counter that external threats – from Iranian proxies to ICC bias – justify unity over prosecution. As Wednesday's session ended, Hadad requested a delay for security scheduling, a plea the court partially granted, postponing Thursday's hearing. With Herzog's decision looming and Gaza's wounds festering, Netanyahu's gamble hangs in the balance: salvation through clemency, or a deeper national fracture.
The trial's next phase, slated for four days weekly, promises more revelations. Witnesses, including former aides and Elovitch himself, await cross-examination, potentially unearthing fresh evidence of influence-peddling. For a nation scarred by war and scandal, the coming weeks could redefine accountability – or entrench impunity.
