From reading the indictment that will begin today - through preliminary arguments and evidence to a verdict and sentence • "Israel Today" outlines all stages of the trial

Prime Minister Netanyahu's trial will begin today with the indictment. This phase will also include a court hearing on a variety of applications. The first of these is likely to be a defense request for postponement of the trial for another year. The reason: Netanyahu's investigation matter did not reach her at all. Another request may include the removal of private information and the discovery of investigative material. 

Mandelblit on charges against Netanyahu: "I made the decision with a heavy but whole heart" // Photo: Ami Shamir

The second phase will then open, in which the defense will make preliminary claims. This can take many months - six months to a year. The defense will be given 60 days to file its claims, including allegations of selective enforcement against Netanyahu or defense from justice. The claim will be given an additional 60 days to answer. Only then will a date for hearing and a decision be taken in court. At this stage, the judges will ask the parties to open journals and set hearings for the evidentiary hearings. 

The Prosecutor's Office wants the hearing to begin in Case 1000 and then in Case 2000, and only at the end of 4000. This is because Case 1000 has the clearest evidence and may indicate Netanyahu's criminal conduct, while Case 4000 is the most complex to prove. 

The Prosecutor's Office aims to conduct an intense trial that will include 4-3 hearings a week, but in Netanyahu's vicinity they will try to dilute this into one hearing every week.  

The important step: the proofs

Only then will the third and central phase of the trial begin - the evidence phase, which will begin in a speech by the lead prosecutor in the case, Adv. himself.

This is the longest phase of the trial. At this point you can see where the evidence is leading and what the defendant's situation is. This is the stage where he can decide which of the defendants he is prone to and is interested in reaching a plea bargain. The fourth stage is optional. There is a possibility that after the evidence, Netanyahu will claim that they are unanswerable, because even if you accept all the evidence, they do not base the blame on him. However, the possibility of this is slim. 

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In the fifth stage comes the defense phase, in which each defendant can also bring witnesses on his behalf and make his arguments. Then comes the sixth stage - the summaries. The prosecution first and then the defendant Netanyahu. At this stage, the defense and prosecution will respond to the parties' claims. 

The seventh stage is dramatic: The verdict - the district judges will determine whether Netanyahu is guilty, and if so - in which sections. At the end of this stage, it can be said that the defendant was convicted. Then, if there is no absolute credit, the sentencing and punishments will come. 

Olmert precedent

If there is no plea bargain, the assessments speak of a sentence that will last about two to three years - not including appeals. This period may also extend, if there are political or security constraints. This is the part of the district court on the matter, but it is expected that whatever the outcome, the defense and prosecution appeals will be filed with the Supreme Court. This is, if you will, the eighth stage. This is a long, almost reconsideration of trial. 

In the case of the former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who was convicted in March 2015 Rishon Tours case and in March 2014 in the Holyland affair, chapter appeals alone took a year and six months Rishon Tours case and one year and nine months in the Holyland affair, pending a ruling by the Supreme. 

Only at the end of this stage will be set time that will begin defendants convicted To want their punishment.