Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to once again circumvent his upcoming trial failed on Thursday after a Jerusalem Court shot down his request to reduce his court appearances.

The court firmly rejected Netanyahu’s bid to cut his weekly testimony schedule from three days to two, despite his legal team’s arguments about his pressing responsibilities amid the multifront war, security meetings, and need for international communications. While granting minor accommodations by allowing proceedings to begin at 10 a.m. rather than 9 a.m., the judges maintained the original three-day schedule.

Netanyahu’s defense team launched a pointed attack on the State Attorney’s Office, accusing prosecutors of creating unnecessary obstacles for the prime minister. They cited the high-profile corruption case against attorney Ronel Fisher and former Tel Aviv State Attorney’s Office head Ruth David, where prosecutors had agreed to reduce testimony to two days weekly.

“For some reason, the prosecutor is rushing only in this case, and only when it harms the prime minister’s defense. It’s hard to credit the claim of equality before the law when what the prosecutor is asking for is the exact opposite of equality—to rush the prime minister beyond all logic and beyond what is acceptable, with the aim of harming his defense,” Netanyahu’s lawyers argued.

The prosecution pushed back forcefully, arguing that public interest demands an end to Netanyahu’s trial, which is approaching its fifth year. They also expressed concern about his unusual request for a closed-door session with judges at the start of his testimony. If the bizarre reasoning were explained, the prosecution could then address it.

Netanyahu will begin testifying on December 10 in an underground hall at the Tel Aviv District Court. He faces serious charges of fraud and breach of trust across three separate cases, with an additional bribery charge in one instance and attempts to leverage his position for favorable media coverage.

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister has consistently denied all wrongdoing, characterizing the charges as a fabricated witch hunt orchestrated by law enforcement and state prosecutors.”