Judges propose dropping bribery charge in Netanyahu's corruption trial

Judges of an Israeli court have proposed that the prosecution consider dropping the bribery charge in the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from the court.

The judges of Jerusalem District Court made the suggestion during a meeting with prosecutors and Netanyahu's lawyers on Tuesday.

They said on Thursday there were "difficulties in establishing the bribery offense" and that "against the backdrop of these difficulties, it was suggested that the State Attorney's Office withdraw the bribery charge".

Prosecutors disagreed with the move, saying that only "a partial picture" of the case had been presented so far, Xinhua news agency reported.

This statement from the court confirmed a previous report by Channel 13, a local TV news channel, which had sparked controversy in the country.

Ministers in Netanyahu's ruling coalition welcomed the court's proposal, echoing the Prime Minister's longstanding claim that "there is nothing" to charge against him.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara clarified that no charges would be dropped at this stage. She expressed surprise at the judges' remarks, emphasising that a substantial amount of evidence in the case has yet to be presented during the trial.

The bribery charge, dubbed "Case 4000," is the most severe allegation against Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister. The case accuses him of providing regulatory and financial advantages to Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of Walla, a news site, and Bezeq, Israel's largest telecom company, in exchange for favourable coverage on Walla.

In addition to the bribery charge, Netanyahu was accused of fraud and breach of trust in two other cases.

However, the Prime Minister has denied all allegations, calling the trial part of a "witch hunt".