Israeli court postponed hearing in Netanyahu case — media

On Sunday, the Jerusalem District Court canceled Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled testimony this week due to an issue of national security.

This information was reported by The Times of Israel.

Why the hearing this week was canceled?

The court ruled that the two hearings scheduled for Netanyahu's testimony this week would be canceled.

However, the court refused to cancel next week's hearing, which Netanyahu had requested. He cited a "lack of certainty" about the "relevant events".

The judges said they would consider a new motion to cancel the hearings if it is filed later next week.

According to the newspaper, Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Hadad, filed two motions on Friday to cancel the prime minister's testimony. The reason cited was diplomatic, national, and security-related issues in connection with the recent war with Iran, which ended last week with a ceasefire.

However, the judges dismissed the motions, saying they had not been presented with sufficient grounds to substantiate them.

On Sunday, Netanyahu personally went to court with senior security officials to explain why he needed a delay.

In their decision, the judges noted that the head of IDF military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder and Mossad director David Barnea were present and explained why Netanyahu had to miss the scheduled hearings on Monday and Wednesday.

Soon after, the judges canceled this week's hearing due to "significant additions and changes" in the explanations provided compared to the grounds presented for previous decisions.

Additionally, the court asked Netanyahu's lawyers to "make every effort" to have another defense witness testify on Wednesday instead of the prime minister, in order to delay the trial as little as possible.

According to public broadcaster Kan, Barnea and Binder told the court that there is an opportunity for Israel to expand its circle of peace, particularly with Syria, and change the face of the Middle East. The closed hearing lasted 10 minutes.

Netanyahu trial

According to the publication, Netanyahu has been accused of fraud and breach of trust in three cases, as well as bribery in one of them. The trial began in 2020 and is expected to last until at least 2027, excluding possible appeals.

Earlier, it was reported that on June 24, as of 7.30 a.m., Iran and Israel have officially agreed to a truce and ceasefire. 

As a reminder, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that peace had been achieved between Iran and Israel.