Israel Netanyahu in hospital - court postpones hearing
The District Court in Jerusalem has canceled the trial dates for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled for next week. The 75-year-old was due to undergo prostate surgery on Sunday. In view of this, Netanyahu's next scheduled hearings have been postponed to January 6 and the following days, the court announced.
29.12.2024, 12:23
SDA
The head of government is charged with fraud, breach of trust and bribery. Among other things, he is accused of having granted benefits to the telecommunications giant Bezeq as Minister of Communications. He is also alleged to have accepted luxury gifts from billionaire friends. At an initial hearing on December 10, he rejected the allegations as "absurd".
Acting prime minister on trial for the first time
This is the first time that a sitting prime minister has stood trial in Israel. The trial could last for years. Netanyahu is due to testify three times a week for around two months. Most recently, he justified his absence from the trial with a troop visit to the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel.
On Saturday, his office announced that he had to undergo surgery for an enlarged prostate. The operation under general anesthesia is to be performed today. The head of government has often been hospitalized in the past due to health problems. He was last operated on under general anesthetic for a hernia at the end of March. Last summer, he was fitted with a pacemaker.
