Netanyahu’s corruption trial testimony postponed again due to ‘security, diplomatic arrangements’

TEL AVIV: Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his ongoing criminal trial has been postponed once again after his lawyer submitted a request informing the Jerusalem District Court regarding his scheduled security and diplomatic meetings throughout the day, as per Times of Israel.

As per Netanyahu’s attorney, he was full of meetings “until the late hours of day” and also filed a confidential copy of Israel PM’s schedule for Monday in the court, as per Times of Israel. This is not the first time Netanyahu’s testimony has been postponed. Earlier, on April 27, it was postponed indefinitely due to “security reasons.”

בגלל “לו”ז ביטחוני”: הדיון במשפט נתניהו יקוצר היום בשלוש שעותhttps://t.co/ScmHmr4S86

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This development followed a decision made earlier this year, when the Jerusalem District Court cancelled Netanyahu’s scheduled appearances for the current week. According to reports by the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, the court acceded to a defence request citing “security and diplomatic” considerations.

The court subsequently approved Netanyahu’s request to postpone his appearance, with another witness set to testify in his place. While a hearing scheduled for Tuesday has also been cancelled, the State Attorney’s Office had opposed the move, arguing that the Prime Minister should align his schedule with court proceedings to complete his cross-examination in the public interest.

The decision was issued on April 26, by a panel of Jerusalem District Court Judges, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham, who agreed to hear from another defence witness instead. Consequently, the court will now hear testimony from Ilanit Filber, the wife of former Netanyahu aide and state witness Shlomo Filber.

The testimony is central to “Case 4000”, also known as the Bezeq-Walla affair, which remains the most serious of the cases against Netanyahu. In this instance, he faces bribery charges over allegations that he directed regulatory decisions benefiting businessman Shaul Elovitch’s Bezeq telecom company in exchange for favourable coverage on the Walla news website.

Netanyahu has consistently denied these allegations, including claims surrounding a key “directive meeting” with Shlomo Filber, who served as Communications Ministry director-general. The Jerusalem Post reported that Filber’s own 2022 testimony was marked by inconsistencies, eventually prompting the State Attorney’s Office to seek the annulment of his state witness agreement.

The trial currently remains in the cross-examination phase, which began in June 2025 following Netanyahu’s initial appearance on the stand in December 2024. (ANI)