Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial was canceled on Wednesday, after the Jerusalem District Court received a clarification from his defense explaining his last-minute request not to appear.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to testify for only two hours on Wednesday morning, after the court had already accepted an earlier request to shorten the hearing. Shortly before the hearing was due to begin, however, his attorneys asked to cancel the testimony entirely.
The request said Netanyahu had been occupied until late Tuesday night with “diplomatic and security matters,” and that he had an early schedule on Wednesday that had already been described to the judges.
Netanyahu’s attorney, Noa Milstein, said that, if needed, Netanyahu’s chief of staff could come to the Tel Aviv District Court, or any other place ordered by the panel, to explain the matter in greater detail.
The prosecution said it could not take a position on the request because it had not been given the reasons behind it.
Judges rule hearing will not take place after receiving detailed reasoning
“Since the reasons for the request were not provided, the prosecution cannot present a position regarding the justification for the request,” the state said.
Presiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who is hearing the case with judges Moshe Bar-Am and Oded Shaham, ordered Netanyahu’s defense to submit detailed reasons by 10 a.m., saying they could be transferred in a sealed envelope if necessary.
After receiving the explanation, the judges ruled that the hearing would not take place.
“In light of what was stated in the clarification document now submitted for our review, no hearing will be held today,” Friedman-Feldman wrote.
The next hearing was set for Sunday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Jerusalem District Court.
Wednesday’s cancellation came after a string of shortened and canceled hearings in Netanyahu’s testimony, which has repeatedly been interrupted due to security-diplomatic constraints.
On Tuesday, the court had already agreed to shorten Wednesday’s hearing from a regular trial day to just two hours, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday’s hearing was also shortened by several hours.
Last week, two of three scheduled testimony days were canceled at Netanyahu’s request, after security and diplomatic needs were presented to the judges confidentially, including in chambers and through sealed material.
The interruptions come as Netanyahu’s cross-examination is in its final stretch. He has testified in roughly 90 hearings, and the prosecution has estimated that only several full days remain before the end of its questioning, followed by a shorter redirect examination by his defense.
The current phase of questioning focuses on Case 2000, the media bribery case centered on recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon “Noni” Mozes.
Netanyahu is charged in the case with fraud and breach of trust. Mozes is charged with offering and promising a bribe. Both deny wrongdoing.
Netanyahu, Mozes accused of planning restrictions on Mozes competitor
According to the indictment, Netanyahu and Mozes discussed a possible exchange in which Netanyahu would receive more favorable coverage from Yediot Aharonot, while Mozes would benefit from restrictions on Israel Hayom, the free daily newspaper that was Yediot’s main competitor.
Netanyahu has denied any deal or coordination with Mozes. In recent hearings, he argued that he opposed the Israel Hayom bill and that coalition discipline cannot be guaranteed simply because it appears in coalition agreements.
Netanyahu has not yet publicly responded to President Isaac Herzog’s offer to mediate talks toward a possible plea agreement.