Tel Aviv, Israel – The Jerusalem District Court announced the cancellation of the scheduled hearing for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his ongoing criminal trial. The hearing was supposed to take place on Monday, May 19. This unexpected decision came after Netanyahu’s legal team submitted an urgent appeal to the court. The appeal requested that the prime minister be excused from attending due to the current security and diplomatic situation.
A busy agenda and a series of secret meetings
Netanyahu’s lawyers formally informed the judges that the prime minister’s schedule was extremely busy and extended “until late into the night.”
The defense explained that the Israeli prime minister was obligated to directly oversee and attend a series of sensitive security and military meetings. In addition, he had to attend high-level diplomatic meetings throughout the day. These were matters that could not be postponed given the complex political and security situation in the region.
To demonstrate the seriousness of the request and persuade the court to grant the annulment, the defense team submitted to the court a confidential and private copy summarizing Netanyahu’s daily schedule and official activities. They argued that Netanyahu’s absence from these meetings could be detrimental to the management of the state’s foreign and security affairs.
Sessions to resume tomorrow amid political anticipation
Despite granting the defense’s request and canceling Monday’s hearing, the court confirmed that this postponement is temporary and will not affect the overall course of the case.
The court clarified that the trial file remains on the regular agenda. Hearings are scheduled to resume on Tuesday morning, May 19, to hear testimonies and continue the standard legal procedures.
This trial is receiving extensive media and political attention both locally and internationally. Netanyahu faces criminal charges including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in several well-known cases. The Israeli prime minister denies all charges against him, claiming that the prosecutions are politically motivated by his opponents.
