Israeli court delays Netanyahu's testimony in corruption trial for 8 days

The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday postponed the testimony of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption trial for eight days, Israeli media said.

Netanyahu was scheduled to testify before the court on Dec. 2 in his trial on charges of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud.

The Israeli premier requested to delay his testimony for 15 days, but the court agreed to grant him an 8-day postponement, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

Two weeks ago, the court rejected Netanyahu's request to delay his testimony for 10 weeks citing his preoccupation with the current wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Netanyahu's trial began on May 24, 2020.

Under Israeli law, he is not required to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court, a process that could take several months.

Opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of escalating the Gaza war to evade his trial and to achieve a victory that could protect him from conviction and keep him in power.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last year, killing more than 44,200 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 104,700.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.