PM told judges it’s not possible to run country while spending 3 days a week in court

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent closed-door session of his criminal trial that it was not possible to run the country while spending three days a week in court, a transcript of the hearing has revealed.

Netanyahu was addressing the judges of the Jerusalem District Court two weeks ago during a closed-door session he’d asked for to request that the number of hearings for his testimony in the trial be reduced from three to two a week.

“With all due respect, Basic Law: The Government enables the prime minister to stand trial and to run the country, and the right balance needs to be made… It’s not possible,” Netanyahu told the judges.

Basic Law: The Government does not require the prime minister to step down if he is indicted and put on trial, but it does not stipulate that the court trying him needs to accommodate his leadership responsibilities and timetable either.

Netanyahu previously insisted that his trial would not harm his ability to carry out his functions as prime minister.

Lawyers for the State Attorney’s Office told the judges they opposed Netanyahu’s request, saying that even though they understood the demands on his time, “this is a criminal trial taking place in accordance with the decision of the court.”

During another closed-door session last week, in which Netanyahu again requested to reduce the number of hearings per week, Netanyahu said Israel was in the midst of a “historic turning point” and that changing security circumstances had implications for the country’s very future.

The court has yet to make a decision on his request.