Netanyahu trial delayed for medical procedure, Justice Minister acting Prime Minister
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyers requested that this week’s testimony at his corruption trial be cancelled due to a medical procedure he is due to undergo on Sunday to remove an enlarged prostate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court to give testimony in his corruption trial on Dec. 16, 2024. Photo by Yossi Zeliger/TPS-IL
The request made to Jerusalem District Court Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman said that Netanyahu will be hospitalized “for several days.”
The benign enlargement was discovered while Netanyahu, 75, was being examined for a urinary tract infection.
“Over the past few days, the prime minister has received antibiotic treatment, which successfully eradicated the infection,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Netanyahu has testified in court six times since Dec. 10.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin will serve as Acting Prime Minister during the operation.
The Prime Minister faces charges of fraud, accepting bribes, and breach of trust stemming from three separate police investigations. Netanyahu denies all charges of wrongdoing and has insisted in the past that the trial would not interfere with his public responsibilities.
Questions so far have focused on the “Bezeq Affair.” Netanyahu — as Communications Minister — is accused of giving regulatory benefits to the Bezeq telecom giant. In return, Bezeq’s majority shareholder, Shaul Elovitch, gave Netanyahu favorable coverage on the Walla News site, which he owns.
The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6.
Netanyahu is on trial for two other cases.
In the case of the “Gifts Affair,” Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting $200,000 in gifts from Hollywood Arnon Milchan in exchange for helping the billionaire obtain a visa to work in the US, and changing certain tax provisions to benefit Milchan. This case is generally regarded as the most serious one against Netanyahu.
In the case known as the “Yediot Affair,” Netanyahu allegedly helped Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes by advancing regulations on the distribution of newspapers to Mozes’s advantage. In exchange, Mozes is accused of providing favourable coverage to Netanyahu, the Communications Minister at the time.
The corruption trial has been taking place at the Jerusalem District Court, but for security reasons, Netanyahu was permitted to testify in an underground bunker at the Tel Aviv District Court. He has rarely attended hearings in person since the trial began in 2020.
Legal experts estimate that the trial could potentially continue for another year, possibly two.
No serving Israeli Prime Minister has ever been indicted on criminal charges. Ehud Olmert stepped down in 2008 ahead of his own indictment for corruption. Olmert was eventually convicted and served two-thirds of a 27-month prison sentence.
Netanyahu underwent surgery in March for a hernia. In 2023, the Prime Minister had a pacemaker inserted.
