On Monday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the court hearing three criminal cases against him to hold a hearing with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz present, concerning his request to shorten the number of days he is required to testify. The request that was submitted to the court highlights security concerns as the reason Netanyahu cannot continue testifying three days a week. The Prime Minister also requested that the hearing be held in-camera, citing the sensitive nature of the security issue.
Amit Hadad, Netanyahu’s attorney, submitted the following request:
Following the statements made by the Prime Minister during the closed-door hearing on February 17, 2025, and in light of the prosecutor’s comments in that hearing, the Honorable Court is requested to hold a closed-door hearing on the security matter during the upcoming session scheduled for February 24, 2025, ideally around 12:00 PM. The Minister of Defense and a representative from the Ministry of Defense will be present.
To facilitate the security hearing, and in accordance with the Ministry of Defense’s instructions, the Defense has been requested by a Ministry representative to provide the following information:
1. This is a sensitive security matter, and its disclosure is governed by security authorities’ definitions, including the location where the classified hearing will take place.
2. Prior to the hearing, security coordination will be conducted between the relevant security agencies and the court secretariat.In light of the above and the critical need to present this information to the Honorable Court before deciding on hearing procedures, the court is requested to order the coordination of the security hearing as detailed.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to appear at the Tel Aviv District Court Monday morning to continue his testimony, despite the security tensions in the south and the ongoing crisis in negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization. This marks the 12th day of the Prime Minister’s testimony, and the defense will continue reviewing the articles in the case. The PM has been responding, one by one, to some 350 charges submitted by the prosecution, casting serious doubts over all of them.
On Sunday, the court rejected Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request to cancel Monday’s session and ruled that the testimony would proceed as scheduled. The State Attorney’s Office also announced its strong opposition to reducing Netanyahu’s testimony to only two days a week. Additionally, the prosecution opposed the cancellation of Monday’s testimony, citing the lack of a concrete reason or justification for such a decision.
So, now he’ll give them his reason.
