From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 2, 2024
Netanyahu could testify in Tel Aviv courthouse basement due to security jitters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming testimony in his corruption trial should be moved from Jerusalem to an underground, fortified hall at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, the Courts Administration says in a statement.
The recommendation follows a consultation between the courts and the Shin Bet security agency about safeguarding Netanyahu during his testimony, which is set to begin December 10.
The statement says that the Shin Bet provided the Courts Administration with “top secret” information regarding threats to Netanyahu due to the ongoing war, including input from the IDF.
As such, it was decided that it will not be possible for Netanyahu to give his testimony in the Jerusalem court, which does not have adequate bomb shelters.
The Shin Bet suggested a different office building in Jerusalem, but the Courts Administration found that it was not suitable for the legal proceedings, the statement says. The Tel Aviv location was agreed on as the best location by the court and the Shin Bet.
Netanyahu last week submitted the request to the court asking that by Monday, the Shin Bet security service and the Courts Administration present the judges with details of security arrangements for the prime minister’s testimony, specifying how many hours a day and days a week are deemed safe for Netanyahu to spend in court.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to begin testifying in his graft cases on December 2, but his defense team requested a 15-day postponement, citing lack of preparation due to Netanyahu’s intense schedule leading the country during a war. The court granted him an eight-day delay, with the testimony set to begin on December 10.
The prime minister has been charged with fraud and breach of trust in two cases and with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a third. He was indicted in January 2020, and a trial encompassing all three cases began in May of that year.
Netanyahu has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that the charges were fabricated in a witch hunt led by the police and state prosecution.
