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| Saved by the virus: Netanyahu gets 2-month delay on corruption trial amid coronavirus emergency | Saved by the virus: Netanyahu gets 2-month delay on corruption trial amid coronavirus emergency |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, which was due to start on Tuesday, has been delayed until at least May 24 due to a state of emergency declared by the Justice Ministry. | The corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, which was due to start on Tuesday, has been delayed until at least May 24 due to a state of emergency declared by the Justice Ministry. |
| As Israel is battling the spread of Covid-19 disease with shutdown of public venues and planned Big Brother-style surveillance of infected individuals, Justice Minister Amir Ohana announced a state of emergency for the country's courts. With all but a few sessions banned, one particular case has been put on pause. | |
| The corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was scheduled to start on Tuesday at the Jerusalem District Court, will not be able to proceed and has been postponed until at least May 24. | |
| Israel currently has 200 confirmed coronavirus cases. On Sunday the country’s Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit approved the use of Israeli state surveillance technologies to track the patient’s cell phones on a request from Netanyahu. Other measures to curb the spread include imposing air traffic restrictions and demanding self-quarantine from foreigners arriving in the country. | |
| Netanyahu faces seven counts in three criminal charges, including fraud, breach of trust and bribery. He tried to secure immunity from prosecution from the Israeli parliament ahead of last week’s general election, but withdrew the bid just before it could be heard by lawmakers as it was clear it would be rejected. | |
| The vote itself was as indecisive as the two previous ones, keeping Netanyahu’s in office without a clear public mandate. Amid the coronavirus outbreak he has been calling on his prime competitor, Benny Gantz, to form an “emergency unity government”. Gantz’s party won 33 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared to Netanyahu’s 36. | |
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