File Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial where he faces corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel. AP
Netanyahu's lawyer on Thursday asked the court to excuse the prime minister from hearings over the next two weeks, saying he needed to concentrate on "security issues" after 12 days of Israeli war on Iran and direct Iranian retaliation against Israel earlier this month.
The Jerusalem district court said in a judgement published online that "in its current form (his request) does not provide a basis or detailed justification for the cancellation of the hearings".
Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a "witch hunt", saying the trial "should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero".
He also called Netanyahu Israel’s "Great War Time Prime Minister", despite a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) demanding his arrest over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza — a war characterised as genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and several aid and rights groups.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support during Israel’s brief war against Iran, which Tel Aviv launched on 13 June, culminating in US strikes on three nuclear sites and ending with a US-brokered ceasefire on 24 June.
Netanyahu is currently on trial in three corruption cases.
In a first case, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.
During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu's government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts.
Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the trial since it began in May 2020, citing Israel's war on Gaza, which started in 2023, and Israel's later war against Lebanon and Hezbollah, and this month's war on Iran.
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