The scheduled resumption of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his ongoing corruption trial has been called off, according to a report by The Times of Israel, which cited Hebrew-language media sources.
The hearings were expected to resume on Monday after a two-month pause linked to the recent conflict with Iran. However, the session was reportedly suspended at short notice following the submission of security-related concerns by Netanyahu’s defence attorney, Amit Hadad. While preparations had been made for the proceedings to continue, the report said no further details were immediately available regarding the nature of the alleged risks or how long the delay might last.
The latest postponement follows a decision last week by the Jerusalem District Court to cancel Netanyahu’s appearances for the current week. That ruling, also reported by The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post, came after the court accepted defence arguments citing security and diplomatic considerations.
As part of that decision, the court agreed to hear testimony from another defence witness in place of the prime minister. A scheduled Tuesday hearing was also cancelled, despite objections from the State Attorney’s Office, which argued that Netanyahu should adjust his schedule to allow the cross-examination to proceed in the public interest.
A panel of Jerusalem District Court judges—Rivka Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham—issued the ruling on Sunday, opting to proceed instead with testimony from Ilanit Filber, wife of former Netanyahu aide and state witness Shlomo Filber.
Netanyahu’s trial is currently focused on cross-examination in “Case 4000,” the most serious of the charges he faces. The case centres on allegations that he advanced regulatory benefits for the Bezeq telecommunications company, controlled by businessman Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for favourable coverage on the Walla news site. Netanyahu has denied all wrongdoing.
Questions have also been raised about the testimony of Shlomo Filber, whose statements in 2022 were described as inconsistent, prompting prosecutors at one stage to seek to revoke his status as a state witness.
Netanyahu first took the stand in December 2024, with cross-examination beginning in June 2025. The trial remains ongoing.
(With inputs from ANI)