Netanyahu's lawyer defies court ruling by rejecting additional hearings

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defense attorney, Amit Hadad, sent a letter to the State Attorney's Office on Tuesday, announcing his refusal to add another day of hearings to the prime minister's ongoing trial starting at the end of 2023. Hadad claims that this decision is due to hearings scheduled in parallel proceedings.

This announcement contradicts the previous ruling by the Jerusalem District Court judges, who had decided to add an extra day of hearings before the court recessed in July. It remains to be seen if the judges will stick to their decision.

Israel Police investigator testifies at Netanyahu's trial

Recently, Uri Kaner, the police investigator in charge of the investigation against Netanyahu and the Elovitch family in Case 4000, testified in the Jerusalem District Court. During his testimony, he revealed his intention to have Saul Elovitch turn state's witness.

In his testimony, Kaner discussed the extent of his responsibility in the investigation of the Elovitch family and the telecommunications company Bezeq. He also mentioned additional interrogations of Saul and his wife Iris.

Kaner addressed the claims made by Elovitch and some of Netanyahu's supporters regarding the interrogation of Saul's son, Or. He clarified that Or was a suspect and emphasized the objective of seeking cooperation and potential state's witnesses. Kaner stressed that there was no intention to humiliate or use family members as pressure tactics.