Netanyahu testimony, set to resume after monthslong break, canceled at last minute

PM’s lawyer cites security concerns, preempting cross-examination in ongoing corruption trial, after Herzog rebuffed pardon request

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his ongoing corruption trial was set to resume on Monday, after a more than two-month pause due to the Iran war, but was canceled at the last minute, according to Hebrew media reports.

The reports cited security concerns submitted by Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad. No further details were immediately available.

The testimony – again held at the Tel Aviv District Court building, rather than its equivalent in Jerusalem, out of security considerations – was expected to pick up from where the premier left off on February 24, his most recent cross-examination date.

Netanyahu has testified 80 times so far, and is almost done being cross-examined on Case 4000, involving allegations that he authorized regulatory decisions that financially benefited telecommunications mogul Shaul Elovitch by hundreds of millions of shekels.

According to prosecutors’ assessments, cited by the Haaretz daily, Netanyahu has between four and eight more sessions left regarding Case 2000, involving a suspected quid pro quo between himself and Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The resumption of hearings would have come in the shadow of a statement by President Isaac Herzog on Sunday rebuffing, at least for the time being, the prospect of granting Netanyahu a pardon, despite an official request from the prime minister and heavy pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Herzog, in a statement, confirmed a report in The New York Times that said he would seek mediation because he believes his job is to foster unity in Israel.

The premier’s trial on charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust, which began in 2020, has divided the country along political fault lines.

Netanyahu is the first sitting prime minister to go on trial. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that the cases against him — which concern allegations that he traded political favors for gifts and favorable press coverage — are a witch hunt and a political coup attempt fabricated by his opponents.

Earlier this month, Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu had ordered Shin Bet chief David Zini to issue a position paper asserting the premier could not testify amid the ceasefire, out of concerns for his safety, arguing he cannot appear for a long time in a location published in advance.

Channel 12 separately reported that the position paper, which the State Attorney’s Office demanded to see in light of the reporting, had been issued without the approval of the Shin Bet’s legal advisor.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.