Netanyahu Trial Won’t Be Aired Live

The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ will not be aired live, the Yerushalayim District Court announced on Sunday.

The trial, on charges of bribery and breach of trust, is set to open on May 24, the first time the history of the state of Israel that an incumbent prime minister has gone on trial. PM Netanyahu has claimed his innocence in all three cases against him, and predicted that the outcome will prove that there is “nothing there.”

Due to the limited number of persons allowed in the courtroom under coronavirus regulations, the court will provide closed circuit coverage of the proceedings to two adjacent courtrooms for members of the media as well as some of the defendants’ lawyers.

The court did not say why a live broadcast was decided against, whether the judges objected or whether one of the parties had opposed it. There was some speculation that it might be viewed by the public after the High Court allowed two days of hearings on petitions to block Netanyahu from forming a government to be broadcast.

Only one lawyer per defendant — besides Netanyahu, the other defendants are Arnon (Nuni) Mozes and Shaul and Iris Elovitch — will be allowed in the main courtroom at a time. The scene will be starkly different from other high-profile trials, which typically feature standing-room-only courtrooms.