Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial will resume on Sunday, the court confirmed on Thursday, after emergency restrictions imposed over Israel's war on Iran were lifted.
Israel and the United States launched air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, before a two-week cease-fire was announced on Tuesday. But extensive Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since jeopardized the truce.
A court statement on Thursday said that "the return to work of the judicial system" means Netanyahu's trial is cleared to continue, beginning with a hearing on Sunday set to include testimony from a defense witness.
Court business in Israel had been interrupted by the conflict, but the military's Home Front Command approved a broad reopening across much of the country after the U.S. and Iran reached a temporary truce.
Netanyahu is facing charges in two cases in which he allegedly negotiated favorable media coverage from Israeli news outlets, and a third involving accusations that he accepted more than $260,000 in luxury gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors.
A fourth corruption charge was previously dismissed.
Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial for corruption. He claims the proceedings against him, which began in 2019, are a "political trial."
In October, U.S. President Donald Trump directly addressed Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a speech at the Israeli parliament, urging him to grant a pardon.
Herzog's office has said the justice ministry's pardons department would gather opinions to submit to the president's legal adviser, who will formulate a recommendation, as per standard practice. Pardons are not usually given mid-trial.
The charges against Netanyahu, along with the genocidal war in Gaza, have damaged his standing. Israel is due to hold elections in October, and Netanyahu's coalition, the most right-wing in Israel's history, is likely to lose.
