12 Israeli ministers sign letter asking to delay Netanyahu's corruption trial

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – A dozen of Israeli ministers called for delaying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned testimony before court in his corruption trial.

Netanyahu is set to testify before the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday to defend himself against charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

On the eve of his trial, 12 Israeli ministers, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, sent a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara requesting to delay his trial.

The ministers cited the current "exceptional security situation" to have his trial postponed, in reference to the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after anti-regime groups captured the capital Damascus on Sunday.

The letter claimed that Netanyahu's court appearance would harm Israel's national interests.

Last month, the court rejected Netanyahu’s request to delay his testimony for 10 weeks citing his preoccupation with the current wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Netanyahu's trial began on May 24, 2020.

Under Israeli law, he is not required to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court, a process that could take several months.

Opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of escalating the Gaza war to evade his trial and to achieve a victory that could protect him from conviction and keep him in power.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last year, killing more than 44,700 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 106,000.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
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*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara