Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Court Testimony Postponed

Apr 27, 2026, 07:15

Introduction

The planned return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to testify in his corruption trial has been delayed after his lawyers raised security concerns.

Main Body

The Jerusalem District Court cancelled the Prime Minister's appearance on Monday. This testimony was supposed to resume after a two-month break caused by the conflict with Iran. The court made this decision after defense attorney Amit Hadad requested a delay, citing security and diplomatic reasons. As a result, the judges decided that the court would instead hear testimony from Ilanit Filber, the wife of state witness Shlomo Filber. However, the State Attorney's Office criticized this delay. Prosecutors asserted that the Prime Minister's schedule should follow the court's requirements to ensure the trial is completed for the public interest. This dispute is part of Case 4000, the most serious of three charges filed in 2019. In this case, the Prime Minister is accused of bribery, specifically that he gave regulatory favors to Bezeq executive Shaul Elovitch in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news site. Furthermore, the legal situation is complicated by other issues. The State Attorney's Office wants to cancel the witness agreement with Shlomo Filber because of inconsistencies in his 2022 testimony. At the same time, the Prime Minister faces international pressure; in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza. The trial is currently in the cross-examination phase, which began in June 2025.

Conclusion

While the Prime Minister continues to deny all charges of bribery and corruption, his testimony has been put on hold for security reasons while the court hears from other witnesses.

Vocabulary Learning

cancelled (v.)

call off / to stop a planned event取消

Example:The court cancelled the Prime Minister's appearance.

delay (n.)

postponement / a period added to a schedule延遲

Example:The delay was requested by the defense attorney.

diplomatic (adj.)

relating to foreign relations / tactful in handling affairs外交的

Example:The request cited security and diplomatic reasons.

regulatory (adj.)

relating to rules or laws that control an activity規範的

Example:He gave regulatory favors to the executive.

security (n.)

protection from danger or threat / state of being safe安全

Example:They raised security concerns before the testimony.

Sentence Learning

This testimony was supposed to resume after a two-month break caused by the conflict with Iran.

Passive Voice: The verb phrase 'was supposed to resume' is a passive construction that expresses an expectation or obligation about the testimony.被動語態: 這句中的動詞片語「was supposed to resume」採用了被動語態，表示對證詞恢復的預期或義務。

The court made this decision after defense attorney Amit Hadad requested a delay, citing security and diplomatic reasons.

Linking Word (after): The conjunction 'after' introduces a time clause that explains when the decision was made.連接詞 (after): 連接詞「after」引入時間子句，說明判決作出的時間。

Prosecutors asserted that the Prime Minister's schedule should follow the court's requirements to ensure the trial is completed for the public interest.

Content Clause: The clause 'that the Prime Minister's schedule should follow the court's requirements' functions as the object of 'asserted' and provides the information that prosecutors are stating.內容子句: 子句「that the Prime Minister's schedule should follow the court's requirements」作為「asserted」的賓語，提供檢方所表述的內容。

At the same time, the Prime Minister faces international pressure; in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Contrastive Conjunction (At the same time): 'At the same time' signals that two events are occurring concurrently but have different implications.對比連接詞 (At the same time): 「At the same time」表示兩件事同時發生，但含義不同。

While the Prime Minister continues to deny all charges of bribery and corruption, his testimony has been put on hold for security reasons while the court hears from other witnesses.

While Clause: The first 'while' introduces a contrastive time clause, and the second 'while' introduces a concurrent action; the passive 'has been put on hold' indicates the state of the testimony.while 子句: 第一個「while」引入對比時間子句，第二個「while」引入同時發生的行為；被動語態「has been put on hold」表示證詞的狀態。