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The scheduled resumption of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony in his ongoing criminal trial has been abandoned, according to a report by the Times of Israel citing Hebrew media. The proceedings were expected to restart today following a two-month break necessitated by the conflict with Iran.
The sudden suspension of the legal session reportedly follows the submission of specific security concerns by Netanyahu's legal representative, Amit Hadad. While the court had prepared for the high-profile testimony to proceed, the Times of Israel noted that "no further details are immediately available" regarding the nature of the security risks or the duration of this latest postponement. This development follows a decision made last week, when the Jerusalem District Court cancelled Netanyahu's scheduled appearances for the current week. According to reports by the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, the court acceded to a defence request citing "security and diplomatic" considerations. The court subsequently approved Netanyahu's request to postpone his appearance, with another witness set to testify in his place. While a hearing scheduled for Tuesday has also been cancelled, the State Attorney's Office had opposed the move, arguing that the Prime Minister should align his schedule with court proceedings to complete his cross-examination in the public interest. The decision was issued Sunday by a panel of Jerusalem District Court Judges, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham, who agreed to hear from another defence witness instead. Consequently, the court will now hear testimony from Ilanit Filber, the wife of former Netanyahu aide and state witness Shlomo Filber. The testimony is central to "Case 4000", also known as the Bezeq-Walla affair, which remains the most serious of the cases against Netanyahu. In this instance, he faces bribery charges over allegations that he directed regulatory decisions benefiting businessman Shaul Elovitch's Bezeq telecom company in exchange for favourable coverage on the Walla news website. Netanyahu has consistently denied these allegations, including claims surrounding a key "directive meeting" with Shlomo Filber, who served as Communications Ministry director-general. The Jerusalem Post reported that Filber's own 2022 testimony was marked by inconsistencies, eventually prompting the State Attorney's Office to seek the annulment of his state witness agreement. The trial currently remains in the cross-examination phase, which began in June 2025 following Netanyahu's initial appearance on the stand in December 2024. (ANI)
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