The Tel Aviv District Court has approved Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his corruption trial hearing, citing unusual circumstances.
Netanyahu requested his testimony yesterday in his ongoing corruption trial. His lawyer, Amit Hadad, explained that the justification for the delay would be provided in private. Hadad also stated that the prosecution is aware of the situation, although a prosecutor’s representative argued that the request should be justified publicly.
Yesterday marked the third day of Netanyahu’s testimony, which has been part of his lawyer’s cross-examination. The session was briefly interrupted when a document envelope was delivered to Netanyahu, prompting prosecutor Yonatan Tadmor to note that repeated interruptions, such as the delivery of these papers, could hinder the questioning process.
Netanyahu defended the interruptions, explaining that the notes were related to his position as prime minister, and stated that there was no reason to make an issue of it.
Monday’s hearing focused on Case 4000, which revolves around businessman Ze’ev Rubinstein, a close associate of Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. The indictment alleges that Netanyahu and his wife used Rubinstein to request positive media coverage from Shaul Elovitch, owner of the Walla! news site, with Rubinstein acting as a liaison to Walla Editor Ilan Yeshua. The prosecution claims Elovitch pressured Yeshua to comply with the Netanyahu family’s demands.
