From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Ministers delay vote on bill that would allow halt to PM’s corruption trial
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation delays approving a bill that would enable lawmakers to halt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial, pushing off a decision by another week — despite media reports that it enjoyed the support of Justice Minister Yariv Levin.
That bill, sponsored by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, which consists of just one operative sentence, would enable lawmakers to delay the trial of a prime minister or cabinet minister at any time after an indictment and before a final ruling.
It allows the Knesset House Committee to “stay the legal proceedings against the prime minister or a government minister” following an indictment “if it deems it necessary” without specifying what, if any, criteria would be used to judge such a necessity.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the committee’s vote on the bill was postponed due to Netanyahu’s insistence that it not apply to him personally.
Netanyahu is currently on trial on several charges of corruption in a case that has been ongoing since 2020.
The Times of Israel Community.