Netanyahu trial hearings canceled this week as testimony delayed
Hearings in Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial were canceled this week after the death of a close family member of one presiding judge. The case remains in cross-examination in Case 4000, and Netanyahu is not expected back on the stand before next week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial hearings scheduled for this week have been canceled, and he is now unlikely to return to the witness stand before next week. The court said the cancellations stem from scheduling constraints after the death of a close family member of one of the presiding judges, following an earlier decision to hear another defense witness instead of Netanyahu.
According to the Courts Administration, after the mother of Judge Oded Shaham passed away, all of his hearings have been canceled through Sunday in accordance with customary bereavement leave. The Jerusalem District Court panel hearing Netanyahu’s case includes Shaham alongside Judges Rivka Friedman-Feldman and Moshe Bar-Am.
Before the latest cancellation, the presiding judges had decided to hear another defense witness on Monday after a request to cancel the prime minister’s testimony due to what the defense called “security-diplomatic reasons,” set out in sealed materials provided to the court and to the prosecution, which opposed the move. In its response, the prosecution said that, absent concrete and urgent security needs that could not be moved, Netanyahu should adjust his schedule to the court’s calendar and stressed the public interest in advancing the trial and finishing his cross-examination.
The bench was set to hear Ilanit Filber, the wife of former Netanyahu confidant and state witness Shlomo Filber, one of the central figures in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla affair, and the only one of the three cases in which Netanyahu faces a bribery charge. Sunday’s court order also showed that defense witness Yoram Naaman finished his testimony, that Ilanit Filber was scheduled as defense witness No. 15 on Monday, and that the hearing set for Tuesday, the eve of Remembrance Day, was canceled.
Procedurally, the case remains in the cross-examination phase of Netanyahu’s own testimony. Netanyahu first took the stand in December 2024, and prosecutors began cross-examining him in June 2025 after 36 defense-led sessions. Before the war-related court shutdown, the proceedings were still centered mainly on Case 4000, including the alleged “directive meeting” with Filber, which Netanyahu has denied.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2020 in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Case 4000 centers on allegations that Netanyahu advanced regulatory decisions benefiting Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage from the Walla news site, while the charge of bribery appears only in this case. With this week’s cancellation, the court is expected to resume hearings next week, subject to the panel’s availability.