Netanyahu’s attorney, Noa Milstein, told the court that, if needed, Netanyahu’s chief of staff could come to the Tel Aviv District Court, or any other place the judges ordered, to explain the matter.Follow us on GooglePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at a ceremony at Mount Herzl, for the Ethiopian Jews who died while making their way to Israel. May 14, 2026.(photo credit: GIL YOHANAN/POOL)BySARAH BEN-NUNMAY 27, 2026 12:20Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Jerusalem District Court panel on Wednesday morning to cancel his testimony in his criminal trial, hours after the court had already agreed to shorten the hearing to just two hours.The request, filed shortly before Netanyahu was due to take the stand, said the prime minister had been occupied until late Tuesday night with “diplomatic and security matters,” and that he had an early schedule on Wednesday that had already been described to the judges.Netanyahu’s attorney, Noa Milstein, told the court that, if needed, Netanyahu’s chief of staff could come to the Tel Aviv District Court, or any other place the judges ordered, to explain the matter in greater detail.The prosecution did not consent to the request, but said it could not properly respond because it had not been given the reasons behind it.“Since the reasons for the request were not provided, the prosecution cannot present a position regarding the justification for the request,” the state said.Prime Minister Netanyahu announces the Summer Education Initiative. (credit: Ma'ayan Toaf (GPO))Detailed reasons demanded by the courtPresiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, who is hearing the case with judges Moshe Bar-Am and Oded Shaham, ordered Netanyahu’s defense to submit detailed reasons to the court and the state by 10 a.m. The judges said the reasons could be transferred in a sealed envelope if necessary.The panel also said the hearing would not begin at 9 a.m. as planned, and that a decision on whether to hold it later Wednesday would be issued only after the explanations were received.The late request came after an already unusual sequence of shortened and canceled hearings in Netanyahu’s testimony, which has repeatedly collided with classified diplomatic and security constraints.On Tuesday, the court accepted Netanyahu’s request to shorten Wednesday’s hearing from a regular trial day to only two hours, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday’s own hearing was also shortened by several hours due to security-diplomatic constraints.Last week, two of the three scheduled days of testimony were canceled at Netanyahu’s request, after security and diplomatic needs were presented to the judges confidentially, including in chambers and through sealed material.The repeated interruptions come as Netanyahu’s cross-examination is in its final stretch. He has testified in roughly 90 hearings, and the prosecution has estimated that only several full days remain before the end of its questioning, followed by a shorter redirect examination by his defense.The current phase of questioning focuses on Case 2000, the media bribery case centered on recorded conversations between Netanyahu and the publisher of Yediot Aharonot, Arnon “Noni” Mozes.Netanyahu is charged in the case with fraud and breach of trust. Mozes is charged with offering and promising a bribe. Both deny wrongdoing.Netanyahu, Mozes accused of planning restrictions on Mozes competitor According to the indictment, Netanyahu and Mozes discussed a possible exchange in which Netanyahu would receive more favorable coverage from Yediot Aharonot, while Mozes would benefit from restrictions on Israel Hayom, the free daily newspaper that was Yediot’s main competitor.Netanyahu has rejected the allegation, saying there was no deal and no coordination with Mozes. In recent hearings, he has argued that he opposed the Israel Hayom bill and that the political reality inside his coalition made it impossible to impose discipline on lawmakers even when coalition agreements appeared to require it.The defense has framed the repeated schedule changes as unavoidable consequences of Netanyahu’s duties as prime minister during wartime. The prosecution has pushed to keep the case moving, stressing that the trial is nearing the end of Netanyahu’s testimony and that additional delays would prolong proceedings that have already stretched across years.Netanyahu has not yet responded publicly to President Isaac Herzog’s offer to mediate talks toward a possible plea agreement.Follow us on Google