Netanyahu's trial session canceled for "security reasons" despite court appeals
The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was scheduled to resume on Monday morning, April 27, at the Tel Aviv District Court, after a nearly two-month hiatus over the war on Iran, has been canceled at the request of his lawyer.
According to Israeli media, the session scheduled for today did not take place, despite the end of the state of emergency in the courts about two and a half weeks ago, and the gradual resumption of judicial proceedings, at the request of Netanyahu's lawyer before the hearing.
According to Israeli reports, the request to cancel the hearing was submitted one hour before the hearing was scheduled to be held, and included security justifications, while the court spokeswoman reported that "an organized request will be submitted later to the case file, and the decision will be made accordingly."
This comes at a time when Netanyahu is nearing the end of his testimony in the framework of his trial, as he finished the last interrogation session on February 24, which constituted the 80th session of his testimony in File 4000.
Despite the fact that the ceasefire came into effect weeks ago, Netanyahu has asked over the past two weeks to cancel a number of sessions, justifying this on "political and security considerations," to which the court responded, despite opposition from the Public Prosecution.
The prosecution's estimates indicated that the cross-examination in file 4000 requires between two and three additional sessions, while file 2000 requires between four and eight sessions, which means that Netanyahu's testimony can be completed in a few weeks.
The trial sessions were held three times a week, but Netanyahu asked for them to be reduced to two days a week because of his duties as prime minister during the war, while the court exceptionally allowed witnesses from the defense to be heard in parallel with his questioning.
Trump mediates for Netanyahu with the Israeli president
The trial continues under increasing political pressure, including calls for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon, as well as statements by US President Donald Trump calling for the trial to be canceled, as well as an official letter he submitted to Herzog in this regard.
Herzog said he would not discuss the issue of the pardon until "a path that could lead to a settlement between the parties outside the court has been exhausted," noting that he is moving forward with mediation between the prosecution and the defense team.
Reports also revealed that about two weeks ago, Israel's Shin Bet security service presented a secret security assessment of Netanyahu's attendance at the trial sessions, in which he cited concerns about his safety, in light of the difficulty of staying for long periods in declared locations.
Still, Netanyahu has recently participated in public events, including an official ceremony in Jerusalem, while his trial is being held in an underground courtroom inside Tel Aviv's District Court, which is being used as a fortified site.
3 scandals haunt Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a series of criminal charges in three major corruption cases, in which his trial began in 2020 and is still ongoing today, including charges of bribery, fraud and dishonesty, according to Israeli and international media reports, including Al Jazeera Net and Israeli state media.
Case 4000, known in the media as "Bezeq-Walla", is the most prominent case, as the prosecution accuses Netanyahu of granting regulatory benefits estimated at hundreds of millions of shekels to the telecommunications company "Bezeq", in exchange for receiving positive and directed media coverage from the "Walla" news website, which was owned by businessman Shaul Elovitch.
Case 1,000 concerns Netanyahu and his family receiving valuable gifts — including luxury cigars, champagne and jewelry — worth about 700,000 shekels from businessmen, most notably film producer Arnon Milchan, in exchange for services related to visas and taxes, according to reports from Israeli intelligence sources.
In the 2000 case, prosecutors accuse Netanyahu of negotiating with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes for more friendly press coverage, in exchange for pushing for legislation that weakens rival Israel Hayom, according to documents published on the Israeli government's website.
ICC Pursues Netanyahu
In a separate development, on November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, accusing him of committing a war crime by using starvation as a means of war on Gaza and committing crimes against humanity including murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.