Shin Bet chief said to tell court PM can’t testify at trial because Iran might try to kill him

Shin Bet chief David Zini has reportedly told court authorities that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot give testimony in his criminal trial, set to resume next week amid a ceasefire in the war against Iran, over concern that Iranian agents may try to harm the premier.

The State Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday accepted Netanyahu’s request to cancel his testimony this week, and said his request to postpone next week’s testimony as well would be examined separately.

Channel 13 news reported on Sunday that, along with Netanyahu’s own request to postpone his trial by two weeks, Zini submitted a letter to the Courts Administration’s legal adviser, warning that it would be a risk to the premier’s life if the public had prior knowledge of an upcoming public appearance, such as court testimony.

Zini reportedly detailed concerns by the Shin Bet that Iranian agents may attempt to take advantage of Netanyahu’s public appearance to hurt him.

Responding to the report, the Movement for Quality Government watchdog group noted that former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said in an affidavit last year that he had refused a request by Netanyahu to provide an opinion to the court to advocate for the cancellation of his testimony based on security considerations while he was in the role.

“Now, with Shin Bet chief David Zini, whom Netanyahu himself appointed, the opinion that Netanyahu failed to get from the previous Shin Bet chief is suddenly being received. This is exactly the scenario we warned against,” the group wrote.

“There is no difference between the security situation now compared to two weeks, a month, or a year ago,” the group continued. “Netanyahu testifies in a protected hall. What has changed: A Shin Bet chief is now ready to cooperate with the effort to disrupt the trial.”

Netanyahu, the first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime, denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust brought in 2019 after years of investigations.

His trial, which began in 2020 and could lead to jail terms, has been repeatedly delayed due to his official commitments, with no end date in sight, and the prime minister repeatedly asking for delays and postponements.

The charges against Netanyahu, along with the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, have damaged his standing. Israel is due to hold an election in October that Israel’s unreliable polls suggest Netanyahu’s coalition, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, could lose. However, the polls also show the Zionist opposition  parties being unable to put together a majority unless they join forces with Arab parties.

The prime minister also currently has a pardon request being examined by President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog is under intense pressure from coalition members and from US President Donald Trump to pardon Netanyahu.

Over the last few months, Trump has ratcheted up pressure on Herzog to do so, calling Herzog “full of crap” and a “weak and pathetic guy” because he has not yet issued a pardon.

The Israeli president said that he will make a decision “without pressure and without noise from any direction,” an apparent reference to Trump’s attacks, and criticized Netanyahu for not pushing back against the US leader’s comments.