Jerusalem Court Rejects Benjamin Netanyahu’s Plea To Pause Graft Trial

On Friday, Jerusalem District Court has rejected Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appeal for a 2-week adjournment of his currently ongoing corruption trial,arguing that the grounds given did not justify suspending court proceedings.

Netanyahu’s defense lawyer Amit Hadad made the request. It highlighted the premier’s need to pay attention to “diplomatic, national, and security matters of the first order,” particularly in the context of the recent ended war with Iran, which concluded this week through a ceasefire agreement. Hadad also claimed that the Prime Minister needed undistracted time to deal with the fallout of the conflict and continued negotiations of regional importance.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s side failed to give justification

However, Justice Rivka Friedman-Feldman dismissed the motion, noted that the defense failed to give sufficient justification. “The request does not present a detailed basis or reason that might justify canceling evidentiary hearings,” the judge said.

The State Attorney’s Office was also firmly against the decision. In its reply, it said, “The general reasons elaborated in the request cannot justify postponing two weeks of hearings, particularly in the period leading up to the summer recess.”

Prosecutors said that Netanyahu’s schedule had already been made amenable to the court by slowing down the questioning pace and restricting his appearances to twice weekly.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s appeal submission

PM Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted the appeal in reports of negotiations between Israel and the United States over the creation of a more extensive regional accord potentially resolving the Gaza war and leading towards normalization with further Arab countries. Though these have not yet been confirmed officially, they were mentioned in the plea of the defense as part of the “urgent” diplomatic terrain.

The trial, which focuses on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges in three different cases, remains a political and legal tinderbox for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

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