Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested to appear in court to give testimony in his public corruption trials only one day this week, citing the need for recovery after a severe post-surgery infection, Israeli media reported on Friday.
Netanyahu contracted the infection following the removal of his prostate in December after a non-malignant lump was discovered, reportedly caused by a urinary tract infection.
The surgery prompted the court to delay the prime minister’s testimony at his trial on health grounds while he was hospitalized and in recovery.
Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that because medical advice said that he “should avoid continuous activity for more than three hours without rest in the coming week, and should also avoid long trips, sitting or standing for long periods of time,” he would be incapable of multiple lengthy testimonies every week.
Instead, they requested the court limit his appearances to a single day, either Tuesday or Wednesday, in order to give him sufficient time to recover.
His lawyers also argued that due to Netanyahu’s central involvement in the hostage deal, his recovery had been hampered, further justifying the reduction in testimonial days.
The prosecution rejected these arguments, saying that, after reviewing the documents, they would oppose the proposed reduction in testimonial days. Instead, they proposed a reduction from three days to two days per week and a shorter length of each testimonial.
Frequent hospitalization
The difficult recovery for Netanyahu has added to a litany of medical issues for the 75-year-old, who has been hospitalized repeatedly in the past few years.
The prime minister was fitted with a pacemaker in July 2023 after fainting and hitting his head; he was diagnosed with a slow heartbeat and bradycardia. Netanyahu was also hospitalized in April 2024 for hernia surgery and was also treated for a hernia in 2013.