The judges presiding over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial reportedly conveyed to representatives from the State Prosecutor's Office that they anticipate difficulties in proving the bribery charge in Case 4000, as per Israel's Channel 13 News on Thursday.
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According to the report, during a routine hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday, the judges engaged in a fifteen-minute discussion with the State Prosecutor's Office and Netanyahu's defense team and the other defendants, Shaul and Iris Elovich.
The judges reportedly emphasized that "the good of the state requires a settlement." While the judges' remarks are not binding on the prosecutor's office, the government's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, will now have to determine whether to pursue a plea deal or consider a criminal mediation procedure with the defense team.
The judges did not reportedly refer to the fraud and breach of trust charges in this case, nor did they mention the other two cases, Case 1000 and Case 2000.
National Unity party lawmaker Gideon Sa'ar said that he has "long held that it's right, with everything considered, to end Netanyahu's trial in a plea deal." Sa'ar remarked that during his tenure as justice minister he refrained from proposing the possibility of an agreement "out of respect for the independence of the State Prosecutor's Office," while urging it to "listen to the court's messages and show readiness for such negotiations."
"The public's interest is to end this long-standing sage with a plea deal," Sa'ar concluded.
Last month, Baharav-Miara informed the court of her opposition to criminal mediation in the so-called "Thousands" cases. This decision followed attempts by Netanyahu's lawyers, Boaz Ben-Zur and Amit Hadad, to persuade her to agree to the procedure.
Despite considering the proposal, Baharav-Miara ultimately concluded that the mediation procedure could disrupt the ongoing legal process. She believed that there was no reason to delay the trial, which commenced over three years ago, as the mediation was not necessary to reach a compromise between the prosecution and the defense.
Throughout the latter part of 2021, the prosecutor's office engaged in talks with Netanyahu regarding a potential plea agreement in his cases. These discussions were initiated by Netanyahu's attorney, Boaz Ben Zur, and involved five confidential meetings between the parties.
Limited to four members of the Ministry of Justice, including former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, State Attorney Amit Isman, the head of the prosecution team Liat Ben Ari, and the assistant to the counsel for criminal affairs, Hagai Harosh. However, in January 2022, Mandelblit informed Netanyahu's defense attorneys that negotiations on a plea agreement could not continue until the appointment of the next legal advisor.
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