Israeli court postpones Netanyahu appearance in graft trial
"Following the explanations given... we partially accept the request and cancel at this stage Mr Netanyahu's hearings scheduled" for this week, the Jerusalem district court said in its ruling, published online by Netanyahu's Likud party.
Netanyahu's lawyers had asked the court to excuse him from testifying over the next two weeks so he could focus on security issues following a ceasefire with Iran and amid ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held.
They had submitted Netanyahu's schedule to the court to demonstrate "the national need for the prime minister to devote all his time and energy to the political, national and security issues at hand".
The court initially rejected the lawyers' request but said in its ruling on Sunday that it had changed its judgement after hearing arguments from the prime minister, the head of military intelligence and the chief of the Mossad spy agency.
- Trump backing -
Trump on Saturday said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the United States was "not going to stand" for the continued prosecution, prompting Netanyahu to thank him in a message on X.
Earlier in the week, the US president had described the case against the Israeli premier as a "witch hunt", saying the trial "should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero".
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid reacted by saying that Trump "should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country".
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in the corruption affair and his supporters have described the long-running trial as politically motivated.
In one of the cases, 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 others, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.
The prime minister has requested multiple postponements to the trial since it began in May 2020.
- Rival urges Netanyahu to quit -
During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu's government has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts and prompted massive protests that were only curtailed by the onset of the Gaza war.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 12 that aired on Saturday, former prime minister Naftali Bennett accused Netanyahu of deepening divisions in Israeli society, and said that he "must go".
Netanyahu "has been in power for 20 years... that's too much, it's not healthy," Bennett said.
The former right-wing premier managed to form a coalition in 2021 that ousted Netanyahu from the premiership after 12 consecutive years, but it collapsed before the end of the following year.
Bennett is rumoured to be planning a comeback, with public opinion polls suggesting he may have enough support to oust Netanyahu again. He declined to comment on that prospect in Saturday's interview.
mib/glp/rlp/dcp
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'I am their voice': Former hostage Omer Wenkert urges for release of remaining hostages
"It is our duty to do everything in our power to bring them back. All of them – now!" Omer said at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square. Former hostage Omer Wenkert called for the immediate return of the 50 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, speaking at the 'Singing for Their Return' event held at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening. The event featured song and prayer and was attended by bereaved families, the wives of reservists, and IDF soldiers. 'There are still 50 brothers and sisters of all of us who remain in Hamas's hell,' Wenkert said. 'I stand here today – and I am their voice! I cry out their pain and their pleas to come home! It is our duty to do everything in our power to bring them back. All of them – now!' In his speech, Wenkert recounted his abduction and captivity by Hamas. 'On October 7, 2023, I was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Re'im Junction,' he said. 'I was returned from Hamas captivity about four months ago after 505 days – days spent underground in a narrow, short, low, and dark tunnel.' He described how he had been at the Nova music festival with his murdered friend Kim Damti, before being taken captive. 'Around 8 a.m., after experiencing hell in a burning shelter where endless grenades were thrown at us, cruel terrorists stripped off my clothes, tied my hands, put me in a van, and within about an hour, I arrived underground where I remained until my last day in captivity.' Wenkert recalled meeting another hostage, Liam, an 18-year-old from Kibbutz Re'im, who had been taken from his bed with a bleeding gunshot wound. 'After about three days, this was the first time Liam and I could speak,' Wenkert said. 'I remember he told me, 'Be strong, brother.' I looked at him and understood – I realized that for his sake, I had to be strong.' 'I immediately lifted myself from the ground, squeezed his hand, looked into his eyes, and said, 'Don't lose hope – we'll eventually return home.'' Liam was later released, but Wenkert remained alone for 197 more days before being joined by Tal Shoham – who was released with him – and two others, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who remain in captivity. Wenkert said he clung to three things that kept him going. 'First – my promise to Liam. I knew I had to keep it. Second, the belief that my family and my freedom were waiting for me. That one day, the sky would spread above me again. Third – gratitude,' he said. 'I learned to be satisfied with little. I said thank you every hour of every day for still being alive.' He emphasized that Gilboa-Dalal, David, and 48 others are still being held in Gaza. 'They are still living an ongoing nightmare every single moment – experiencing endless and intensifying hell, starving, humiliated, miserable, and crying out to return to freedom,' he said. 'I want to say thank you to everyone who is here today and visits this square every day,' Wenkert said. 'I want to thank the people of Israel for supporting me, my family, and all the hostages still in Gaza. I want to thank the soldiers who fought for my return and defend our country.' He also paid tribute to the fallen. 'I want to commemorate and remember all those who have fallen in this campaign and in all of Israel's campaigns in general,' he said. Wenkert concluded with a reminder that bringing the hostages back "is the most urgent priority,' he said. 'And I want you to always remember – as long as the sky is above you, freedom exists in your lives, and family or people who love you are by your side, you are more than okay. All of them – now!'
26 minutes ago
Trump says the GOP mega bill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not.
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump keeps saying that Republicans' mega tax and spending cut legislation will eliminate taxes on federal Social Security benefits. It does not. At best, Trump's 'no tax on Social Security' claim exaggerates the benefits to seniors if either the House or Senate-passed proposals is signed into law. Here's a look at Trump's recent statements, and what the proposals would — or would not — do. Trump repeatedly told voters during his 2024 campaign that he would eliminate taxes on Social Security. As his massive legislative package has moved through Congress, the Republican president has claimed that's what the bill would do. Trump said on a recent appearance on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures" that the bill includes 'no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime.' But instead of eliminating the tax, the Senate and House have each passed their own versions of a temporary tax deduction for seniors aged 65 and over, which applies to all income — not just Social Security. And it turns out not all Social Security beneficiaries will be able to claim the deduction. Those who won't be able to do so include the lowest-income seniors who already don't pay taxes on Social Security, those who choose to claim their benefits before they reach age 65 and those above a defined income threshold. The Senate proposal includes a temporary $6,000 deduction for seniors over the age of 65, contrasted with the House proposal, which includes a temporary deduction of $4,000. The Senate proposal approved Tuesday would eliminate Social Security tax liability for seniors with adjusted gross incomes of $75,000 or less or $150,000 if filing as a married couple. If passed into law, the tax deduction would last four years, from 2025 to 2029. The deductions phase out as income increases. Touting a new Council of Economic Advisers analysis, the White House said Tuesday that '88% of all seniors who receive Social Security — will pay NO TAX on their Social Security benefits," going on to say that the Senate proposal's $6,000 senior deduction 'is estimated to benefit 33.9 million seniors, including seniors not claiming Social Security. The deduction yields an average increase in after-tax income of $670 per senior who benefits from it.' Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation think tank, said conflating the tax deduction with a claim that there will be no tax on Social Security could end up confusing and angering a lot of seniors who will expect to not pay taxes on their Social Security benefits. 'While the deduction does provide some relief for seniors, it's far from completely repealing the tax on their benefits,' Watson said. The cost of actually eliminating the tax on Social Security would have massive impacts on the economy. University of Pennsylvania's Penn Wharton Budget Model estimates that eliminating income taxes on Social Security benefits 'would reduce revenues by $1.5 trillion over 10 years and increase federal debt by 7 percent by 2054" and speed up the projected depletion date of the Social Security Trust Fund from 2034 to 2032. Discussions over taxes on Social Security are just part of the overall bill, which is estimated in its Senate version to increase federal deficits over the next 10 years by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Administration officials have said the cost of the tax bill would be offset by tariff income. Recently, the CBO separately estimated that Trump's sweeping tariff plan would cut deficits by $2.8 trillion over a 10-year period while shrinking the economy, raising the inflation rate and reducing the purchasing power of households overall.
USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
Paramount agrees to pay $16M to settle Trump lawsuit over '60 Minutes' interview
NEW YORK - CBS parent company Paramount on July 1 settled a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over an interview broadcast in October, the latest concession by a media company to a president who has targeted outlets over what he describes as false or misleading coverage. Paramount said it would pay $16 million to settle the suit, with the money allocated to Trump's future presidential library, and not paid to Trump "directly or indirectly." "The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret," the company statement added. Trump filed a $10-billion lawsuit against CBS in October, alleging the network deceptively edited an interview that aired on its "60 Minutes" news program with then-vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to "tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party" in the election. In an amended complaint filed in February, Trump bumped his claim for damages to $20 billion. CBS aired two versions of the Harris interview in which she appears to give different answers to the same question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas. CBS previously said the lawsuit was "completely without merit" and had asked a judge to dismiss the case. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Edward A Paltzik, a lawyer representing Trump in the civil suit, could not be immediately reached for comment. A spokesperson for Paramount Chair Shari Redstone was similarly unavailable for comment. The case entered mediation in April. Trump alleged CBS's editing of the interview violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, which makes it illegal to use false, misleading, or deceptive acts in commerce. Media advocacy groups said Trump's novel use of such laws against news outlets could be a way of circumventing legal protections for the press, which can only be held liable for defamation against public figures if they say something they knew or should have known was false. The settlement comes as Paramount prepares for an $8.4-billion merger with Skydance Media, which will require approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. On the campaign trail last year, Trump threatened to revoke CBS's broadcasting license if elected. He has repeatedly lashed out against the news media, often casting unfavorable coverage as "fake news." The Paramount settlement follows a decision by Walt Disney-owned ABC News to settle a defamation case brought by Trump. As part of that settlement, which was made public on December 14, the network donated $15 million to Trump's presidential library and publicly apologized for comments by anchor George Stephanopoulos, who inaccurately said Trump had been found liable for rape. It also follows a second settlement, by Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, which on January 29 said it had agreed to pay about $25 million to settle a lawsuit by Trump over the company's suspension of his accounts after the January 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol. Why Trump sued CBS: What to know about complaint dating back to Kamala Harris interview Trump has vowed to pursue more claims against the media. On December 17, he filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register newspaper and its former top pollster over its poll published on November 2 that showed Harris leading Trump by three percentage points in Iowa. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an order barring the Des Moines Register from engaging in "ongoing deceptive and misleading acts and practices" related to polling. A Des Moines Register representative said the organization stands by its reporting and that the lawsuit was without merit. On June 30, Trump dropped the federal lawsuit and refiled it in an Iowa state court. (Reporting by Helen Coster and Jack Queen in New York, Kanjyik Ghosh and Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Rod Nickel and Kate Mayberry)
