Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the witness stand Tuesday in his corruption trial after a two-month absence from Tel Aviv District Court during the war.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Likud lawmakers Tsega Melaku and Tally Gotliv were also at the courthouse to support him. Gotliv interrupted the hearing several times.
Netanyahu had been due to testify Monday, but about an hour before the hearing was set to begin, his attorney, Amit Hadad, asked the court to cancel his appearance.
The request cited security concerns. It later emerged that Netanyahu had held a security consultation on Iran and Lebanon and attended a meeting of the IDF’s senior command forum, where he spoke.
Netanyahu had not testified since February 24. Over the past two weeks, he had asked to postpone hearings because of security constraints, and the judges approved the requests.
The Shin Bet submitted an assessment to the judges saying Netanyahu could not testify in court during the ceasefire because he could not remain for hours at a publicly known location, citing concerns for his safety amid the threat of Iranian missiles.
The assessment was issued despite the fact that Netanyahu’s testimony is heard in a fortified courtroom on the minus-2 level of Tel Aviv District Court.
According to reports, Shin Bet chief David Zini submitted the assessment even though professional officials in the agency had asked for further review. The agency’s legal adviser also disagreed with the assessment, which was drafted by Zini and another official, and saw it only at a late stage.