Court Cancels Netanyahu Testimony After Urgent Letter From His Lawyer

This morning (Monday), the District Court announced it was canceling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony in the Alafim cases, which had been scheduled for today. The decision followed an update from his defense attorney, Amit Hadad. Shortly afterward, the formal letter Hadad submitted to the court was also published, detailing the circumstances that led to the request.

According to the letter, the main reason for the cancellation is an unusual security workload that required Netanyahu's participation. Hadad wrote that "the prime minister was required yesterday to be at a cabinet meeting and in additional security consultations until the small hours of the night, and today he is required to continue with a security-diplomatic schedule whose circumstances are detailed in a sealed envelope." The court accepted the request, and today's planned testimony was canceled.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Isman announced overnight that they are prepared to hold talks with Netanyahu to explore a possible plea agreement in the Alafim cases. The announcement came after a call from President Isaac Herzog to advance dialogue between the sides in an effort to reach understandings.

However, Baharav-Miara emphasized that any talks toward a deal would be possible only on the condition that "there be no preconditions or harm to the progress of the trial."

Early last week, the "New York Times" reported that Herzog does not intend to grant Netanyahu a pardon at this stage. According to the report, the president prefers to advance a plea agreement between the sides and has even refrained from responding to Netanyahu's pardon request. The President's Residence confirmed the details and said that "an agreement between the sides is an appropriate and correct solution."