A Jerusalem court partially accepted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request on Sunday to postpone his hearings in his corruption trial, according to a document published by his Likud party. The politician's lawyer asked on Thursday to postpone the proceedings due to "developments in the region and around the world," following the war with Iran and the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. "We partially accept the request and cancel Mr. Netanyahu's hearing dates, scheduled for June 30 and July 2," the court document states, after having previously rejected the prime minister's request. The text argues that new national security reasons cited by the prime minister, the head of the Mossad, and military intelligence justified the postponement. Netanyahu is "obliged to devote all his time and energy to managing national, diplomatic, and security matters of the utmost importance," wrote lawyer Amit Hadad in a request sent to the court. It is unclear whether social media posts by US President Donald Trump, who suggested the trial could interfere with Netanyahu’s ability to negotiate with Iran and Hamas, played a role.

Middle East Great Again

In one of the cases against him, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 in luxury goods including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from millionaires in exchange for political favors. In two other cases, he is accused of trying to broker more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.

Netanyahu has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that it is a witch hunt against him orchestrated by the left to remove a democratically elected right-winger from power. On Friday, the court had rejected Netanyahu's request to postpone his testimony, and he was originally scheduled to appear Monday. Shortly after the decision was announced, Netanyahu responded to Trump via Twitter. "Thanks again @realDonaldTrump.Together we will make the Middle East great again!