The Jerusalem District Court has canceled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled testimony in his ongoing criminal trial this week, the Times of Israel reports. The decision was made after a closed-door hearing, at which Netanyahu appeared in person on June 29, BTA reports.
The Prime Minister asked the court to postpone the hearings scheduled for the next two weeks, citing diplomatic commitments and national security considerations. Two of his previous requests for postponements were rejected on Friday.
The head of the IDF's military intelligence and the head of the Mossad were also present at today's hearing. They presented arguments that the postponement was necessary in view of the current sensitive situation.
The court's decision comes just hours after US President Donald Trump called for an end to Netanyahu's trial, arguing his position with the need to focus on ending the war in Gaza, returning the hostages and conducting diplomacy on the Iranian issue. The statement sparked criticism and suspicions that the prime minister is using national security as a means to avoid judicial responsibility.
The court panel in Jerusalem indicated that the additional information presented during the hearing was significantly more detailed than that in the initial requests. Based on this, the court decided to cancel two hearings scheduled for this week.