JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL

The Tel Aviv District Court on Monday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to cancel his scheduled trial session on corruption charges on Tuesday, citing “security commitments.”

Netanyahu had asked the court to cancel his appearance on Tuesday due to unspecified security-related engagements, the public broadcaster KAN said.

It added that the prosecution did not object, and the court accepted Netanyahu’s request and canceled the session.

Netanyahu appeared before the court on Monday for the first time since he asked President Isaac Herzog to grant him a pardon in his corruption trial.

The Israeli premier submitted an official request on Sunday to Herzog asking for clemency from the corruption charges that have pursued him for many years.

Netanyahu has repeatedly requested the cancellation or shortening of his trial sessions, citing travel, security, and political reasons, or his preoccupation with Israel’s war in Gaza.

In January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions related to corruption charges in cases designated 1000, 2000, and 4000, all of which he denies.

Case 1000 involves accusations that Netanyahu and his wife received expensive gifts such as cigars and champagne from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors.

Case 2000 concerns alleged negotiations with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, to gain favorable media coverage.

Case 4000, considered the most serious, involves allegations of providing regulatory and other benefits to Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the news site Walla and the Bezeq telecommunications company, in exchange for favorable media coverage.

The Israeli premier also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.