Israeli Prosecutor’s Office rejects Netanyahu’s bid to pause trial

Israel’s State Prosecutor’s Office has formally opposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to suspend his corruption trial for two weeks, citing concerns about delays in the judicial process and the approaching summer court recess.

According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, argued that the prime minister needs time to focus on “diplomatic, national and security issues of paramount importance” in the aftermath of the recent military conflict with Iran, which concluded on June 24.

Hadad specified that Netanyahu must now concentrate on managing the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to resolve the hostage crisis.

In its formal response, the prosecution dismissed the justification as too broad and insufficient to warrant halting proceedings. “The general reasons given in the request cannot serve as grounds for cancelling the two-week hearings, especially in the run-up to the break,” the prosecution stated.

It also noted that accommodations had already been made to ease Netanyahu’s schedule, including reducing his required courtroom appearances from three times per week to two.

“Therefore, the prosecution objects to this request,” the statement concluded.

The matter is now pending a decision by the Jerusalem District Court.

Netanyahu’s appeal for a break came just hours after US President Donald Trump publicly called for the trial to be terminated, describing it as a “witch hunt against a great wartime prime minister [in Israel].”

The Israeli leader is currently on trial facing three separate charges: bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, claiming that the cases are part of a politically motivated plot orchestrated by law enforcement and the prosecution.

By Tamilla Hasanova