Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Apr 29: An Israeli court on Wednesday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his testimony in his long-running corruption trial and ordered proceedings to continue as scheduled.

The Jerusalem District Court turned down a plea by Netanyahu’s defence team seeking to delay the hearing, despite citing a confidential “security matter” in support of the request.

In the ruling, Presiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman said the court found no sufficient basis to alter the hearing schedule and directed that testimony proceed as planned.

The development came a day after Netanyahu returned to the witness stand for the first time since February 24, following a two-month pause linked to the Iran war and regional security developments.

Cross-examination resumed in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla affair, regarded as the most serious of the three cases against Netanyahu as it includes a bribery charge.

Prosecutors allege Netanyahu used his position to benefit former Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch in return for favourable media coverage from Walla news. Netanyahu has denied the allegations and rejected all wrongdoing.

The court proceedings coincided with a parallel development, as President Isaac Herzog’s legal team reportedly invited both prosecution and defence representatives for preliminary discussions on a possible plea arrangement.

According to reports, the talks are aimed at exploring whether common ground can be reached before the president considers Netanyahu’s pending pardon request.

Netanyahu, indicted in 2019, has pleaded not guilty in all three corruption cases. His trial began in 2020, and he became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to testify as a criminal defendant when he took the stand in December 2024.