Netanyahu Seeks Trial Delay following ICC Arrest Warrant for War Crimes

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The lawyers argued that their preparations were further obstructed by the International Criminal Court’s decision on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team has requested a 15-day postponement for the start of his testimony in his ongoing criminal trial, Israeli media reported.

According to the request, despite their efforts, both the Prime Minister and his defense attorneys would not be ready by the scheduled date of December 2.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu’s defense team had sought a 10-week delay, which the court denied, explaining that it had already given him five months to prepare since the date was set in July.

Netanyahu’s lawyers claimed that since the court’s rejection on November 13, they and the Prime Minister had made “a supreme effort” to prepare for his testimony, including holding late-night meetings.

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“Despite this supreme effort, the defense is not prepared, and will not be able to meet the goal of being prepared, for beginning the defense by December 2,” Netanyahu’s defense team reportedly said.

The lawyers argued that their preparations were further obstructed by the International Criminal Court’s decision on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Consequently, they are now asking for his testimony to begin on December 17.

Netanyahu is currently facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, which have been ongoing since 2020. 

His legal team argued that the “exceptional” security demands arising from the ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza and the war on Lebanon make it impossible for him to devote sufficient time to his defense.

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According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu’s attorneys emphasized that the Prime Minister’s responsibilities in managing “Israel’s” security and defense during the current wartime situation prevent him from fully engaging in trial preparations.

In May 2024, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders—martyr Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and martyr Ismail Haniyeh.

On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, charging them with “crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

This development represents a significant escalation in legal proceedings related to the war on Gaza, mandating the ICC’s 124 member states to detain Netanyahu and Gallant if they enter their jurisdiction.

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,211 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,567 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

 The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.  

(PC, Al-Mayadeen)

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