Netanyahu asks court to postpone corruption trial summons: lawyer
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked a court on Thursday to postpone his testimony in his long-running corruption trial, after US President Donald Trump called for the case to be cancelled altogether.
In a filing to the tribunal, Netanyahu's lawyer Amit Hadad said the premier's testimony should be delayed in light of 'regional and global developments'.
'The court is respectfully requested to order the cancellation of the hearings in which the prime minister was scheduled to testify in the coming two weeks,' the filing said.
It said Netanyahu was 'compelled to devote all his time and energy to managing national, diplomatic and security issues of the utmost importance' following a brief conflict with Iran and during ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held.
Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a 'witch hunt'.
Trump calls for Netanyahu's trial to be canceled
In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Netanyahu trial 'should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero', after the end of a 12-day war with Iran.
Netanyahu on Thursday thanked Trump for his 'heartfelt support for me and your incredible support for Israel and the Jewish people'.
'I look forward to continue working with you to defeat our common enemies, liberate our hostages and quickly expand the circle of peace,' Netanyahu wrote on X, sharing a copy of Trump's Truth Social post.
Israel's opposition leader warned Trump against interfering in Israel's internal affairs.
'We are thankful to President Trump, but… the president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country,' Yair Lapid said in an interview with news website Ynet.
Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
In the trial that has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.
In a first case, Netanyahu 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 in two Israeli media outlets.
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The distinction principle under international humanitarian law, which requires combatants to differentiate between military targets and civilian objects, appears to have been grossly disregarded. The ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump added a histrionic twist to the unfolding crisis. Acting through backchannel diplomacy, President Trump leveraged his personal ties with regional leaders to secure a temporary halt to hostilities. While the ceasefire was welcomed as a respite from violence, it also exposed the limitations of current institutional diplomacy. The fact that the President Trump, through unconventional channels, could achieve what the UN Security Council could not, raises profound questions about the efficacy and legitimacy of existing global governance structures. The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, failed to act decisively during the crisis. 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Failure to do so not only erodes legal norms but also fuels resentment and justifies nuclear ambitions among other regional states. The humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli operations in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon must be confronted with urgency. Deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, blockade of humanitarian aid, and the use of disproportionate force are violations of the Geneva Conventions. The world must move beyond statements of concern and take concrete action to protect civilian lives. Sanctions on arms transfers, investigations by international courts, and deployment of UN monitoring missions are all tools that can and should be used to hold violators accountable. Iran's role too warrants critical examination. Despite being a victim of aggression in this episode, Iran has long pursued a foreign policy that isolates it regionally. Sharing borders with eight countries, Iran has strained or hostile relations with nearly all of them. 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