(MENAFN) The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday rejected a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team to reduce the number of days he must testify in his ongoing corruption trial, according to reports.

Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who heads the panel overseeing the trial, denied Netanyahu’s request to testify three days a week instead of four, stating, “The hearings will proceed as planned.”

On October 13, US President Donald Trump, during a speech at the Knesset, called on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon from the corruption charges.

Separately, Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is scheduled to discuss a draft bill that would allow indefinite delays in Netanyahu’s trials. If passed, the measure would move to the Knesset for consideration. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposes any legislation that “allows political considerations to gain a foothold in the criminal process.”

Netanyahu began answering questions in January regarding charges in cases labeled 1000, 2000, and 4000, all of which he denies. His trial, which started on May 24, 2020, marked the first time a sitting Israeli leader has testified as a criminal defendant in the nation’s history.

In addition to corruption charges, Netanyahu faces allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over atrocities in Gaza, where more than 68,000 people, primarily women and children, have been killed since October 2023.

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