Jerusalem court sets hearing for Wednesday on PM’s request for delay in criminal trial

The Jerusalem District Court says it will hold a hearing on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his testimony in his criminal trial on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman orders the prosecution to file its response to the request by noon tomorrow.

Last night, Netanyahu’s legal team filed a request with the Jerusalem District Court to delay his testimony in his corruption trial for two and a half months, claiming that a series of security incidents had made it “impossible” for him to prepare for his testimony, according to Hebrew media outlets.

Netanyahu is scheduled to begin testifying on December 2 as the defense portion of the trial kicks off after the prosecution rested earlier this year. This testimony is expected to last several hours a day and take weeks to complete.

Netanyahu previously asserted in a conflict of interest agreement signed in 2020, which allowed him to serve as prime minister while under indictment, that he would be capable of standing trial while fulfilling his duties as premier. The new request for a delay may therefore prompt petitions by government watchdog groups to the High Court of Justice to compel the prime minister to recuse himself from office.