A-G agrees to meet with Netanyahu's defense team over plea bargain

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has agreed to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defense team for preliminary discussions on a possible plea bargain in his ongoing criminal trial, the Attorney General's office said in a Sunday statement. The development marks a potentially significant turn in a case that has divided Israeli society for years.

The meeting was facilitated by an invitation from President Isaac Herzog, whose office stepped in to help open a channel between the two sides. The move is understood to be an initial step rather than a formal negotiation, with no deal yet on the table.

Netanyahu has been on trial on charges including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate cases. The trial began in 2020 and has proceeded slowly, drawing sustained public attention and political controversy throughout its duration.

The prospect of a plea bargain has been a recurring topic in Israeli legal and political circles, though previous efforts to open dialogue between the prosecution and the defense did not advance. Herzog's involvement signals a higher-level effort to explore whether a resolution outside a full court verdict is possible.

Any agreement would require both sides to reach terms acceptable to the attorney general's office, which oversees the prosecution. No timeline for the meeting has been publicly confirmed, and the outcome of the preliminary discussions remains uncertain.