After closed-door briefing with IDF intelligence chief, court cancels tomorrow’s hearing in PM’s criminal trial

The head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Shlomi Binder, addressed the judges of the Jerusalem District Court in a closed-door session of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial, as part of the premier’s request to reduce the number of hearings at which he must give testimony every week.

The prime minister’s military secretary briefed the judges, but Binder was also in attendance in the hearing, Hebrew media reported, apparently to buttress Netanyahu’s claims that the country is in the midst of significant security developments requiring him to spend less time in court.

In its decision, which was issued following the closed-door session, the court says that tomorrow’s scheduled hearing is canceled due to what the judges were told by the military officials. The next hearing will take place on Wednesday.

Following the court’s decision to cancel the hearing in light of the briefing on security developments, Hebrew media reports that members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s intelligence subcommittee have been summoned to a confidential meeting with the prime minister tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Netanyahu has requested the number of hearings for his testimony be reduced from three times each week to two. The court is considering the request and will make a final ruling after it receives the additional details it requested from the prime minister’s defense lawyers, and the position of the prosecution.