The judges in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted on Monday the premier’s request to postpone his testimony that was schedule to take place on the following day to Oct. 25, citing “rare circumstances” for their decision.
At the hearing, Netanyahu’s defense attorney asked to explain the reason for the delay behind closed doors.
The prosecution asked that the justification be submitted in writing, to which Netanyahu said, “To the best of my knowledge, [writing on] paper can’t explain to you the reasoning. We must do this behind closed doors.”
The prosecution’s representative Yonatan Tadmor objected, with Netanyahu telling him, “You are objecting to something you have no idea about.”
The Tel Aviv District Court judges accepted Netanyahu’s request and continued the hearing in their chambers, with only Tadmor and the prime minister’s lawyer Amit Hadad present.
Shortly afterward, Judge Rebecca Friedman-Feldman said, “In light of the facts, we agree to the defense’s request and will not hold a hearing tomorrow.”
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister is facing three cases of corruption charges that were first brought against him nearly five years ago.
Netanyahu has denied the allegations against him and denounced them as political persecution by judicial means.
In his opening statement on Dec. 10, Netanyahu focused on what he called the “absurdity” of the cases brought against him, and the timing of the trial, which coincides with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen, its fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the collapse of the dictatorship of Bashar Assad in Syria.
