Israeli court postpones Netanyahu corruption hearing for ‘security’ reasons

The Tel Aviv District Court accepted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request Monday to postpone his hearing to respond to corruption charges until Tuesday, citing “political and security” reasons.

The public broadcaster KAN said Netanyahu requested the delay Monday morning for “political and security reasons,” without giving further details.

The court and the public prosecutor’s office approved the request, and the next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, KAN said.

The delay came as the Israeli army on Monday began attacking the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla carrying activists from 39 countries in international waters.

Live broadcasts from the flotilla showed Israeli naval forces attacking the boats one after another.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli army detained activists aboard the vessels and was transferring them to a navy ship described as a “floating prison” before transporting them to the port of Ashdod.

Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. Indictments were filed in late November 2019.

Since his corruption trial began in 2020, Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing. Israeli law allows a presidential pardon only after a defendant admits guilt.

In addition to the domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where more than 72,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal war since October 2023.

Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul