Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's petition rejected by court amid tensions with Iran, accused of serious charges including..., was seeking two...
(Photo: AP/Alamy)
New Delhi: Amid tensions with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has received a major blow from a Jerusalem court. The District Court on Friday, 27 June 2025 rejected a petition seeking a two-week postponement of the hearing in three corruption cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman said that the petition submitted by Netanyahu's lawyer Amit Hadad did not provide any solid basis or reason that would be sufficient to cancel the hearing. Netanyahu submits copy of his schedule
A few hours after the court's decision, the Prime Minister also presented a second petition, in which he also submitted a copy of his schedule for the next week to prove that he needed to postpone the hearing. Netanyahu's lawyer argued on Thursday, June 26, that amid the ongoing ceasefire after the recent war with Iran, the Prime Minister needed two weeks of relief to focus on extremely important bilateral, national and security matters. What was Israeli PM's schedule?
During this petition, several media reports said that Israel and the USA were planning a comprehensive agreement to end the Gaza war and normalize the situation with Arab countries, although there has been no official confirmation of this. What is Netanyahu accused of?
Prime Minister Netanyahu is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. He denies all the allegations and claims that all this is part of a political conspiracy, in which the police and the state prosecution department have falsely filed charges against him. Hollywood connection
The accusations include accepting some $200,000 in gifts such as cigars and champagne from two billionaires, Hollywood-based Israeli movie mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian magnate James Packer, according to a Times of Israel report. Deep anger at court's decision
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed deep anger at this decision of the court and prosecutors. He said that it is extremely unfortunate that the court and the prosecutors have failed to understand national priorities and interests. This situation is a big failure for the country. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also described the decision as out of touch with reality and reiterated US President Donald Trump's appeal in which he demanded a complete halt to the trial.
Likud Party MP Tali Gottlieb said on X that she is fed up with the insulting treatment being meted out to the Prime Minister. She expressed hope that Netanyahu will maintain his struggle, pride and strength, as he has shown to Israel.
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