Netanyahu Concludes Corruption Trial Testimony After 98 Hearings — First Sitting PM Cross-Examined in Israeli History

On June 24, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his final testimony in his corruption trial after 98 hearings spanning roughly 1.5 years, closing the witness-stand phase of Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 (bribery, fraud, and breach of trust). Netanyahu first took the stand on December 10, 2024, and described the prosecution as 'a decade of hell.' The trial — the first criminal cross-examination of a sitting Israeli prime minister — now moves to testimony from remaining witnesses, including cabinet-adjacent figures named in the indictments, before defense and prosecution closing arguments. The trial's conclusion of Netanyahu's personal testimony lands amid Israel's parallel October 7 accountability crisis, with critics arguing Netanyahu has used the corruption case to bolster his push for judicial overhaul while resisting an independent state commission on October 7.