The Shin Bet security agency and the Courts Administration in Israel issued on Monday a joint statement confirming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security fears when he will testify at the Jerusalem District Court next week.
They recommended that for security reasons, the PM’s testimony should be moved to the basement floor of the Tel Aviv District Courthouse.
“After reviewing the various threats and based on relevant information, including some received from the Israeli army and after advice from a security expert we report our position is that hearing the prime minister's testimony at this time at the Jerusalem District Court should be avoided, even if there is a secure area on the same floor of the building,” the Shin Bet wrote in their notification to the court on Friday.
The notification also said there was discussions between the court's administration and representatives of the Shin Bet where top secret information was provided on the threats against the PM, amid the war in Gaza, that pose challenges to his security.
It said an alternative location in the basement of the court building in Jerusalem that met the requirements was suggested but the Courts Administration said it was not suitable for the session and other locations in Jerusalem were ruled out, while the basement floor of the Tel Aviv District Courthouse was found to be acceptable to all.
Netanyahu's defense attorney in his corruption trial had repeatedly raised the issue of his client’s security concerns.
Those concerns increased when four Israelis fired two flares at the Caesarea home of Netanyahu on the night of November 16 during weekly protest activities against the PM and the government.
Although the defendants have claimed that their behavior was a legitimate protest intended to provoke and not to assassinate Netanyahu, the State Prosecution considered their act a serious threat to the PM. They were indicted on security charges and could spend up to 20 years in prison.
On Monday, the Shin Bet did not clarify whether the security threats were due to Israeli opponents or foreign parties, noting that drones launched from Lebanon also targeted Netanyahu's home.
The PM’s defense attorney, Amit Hadad, had asked the Courts Administration to seriously consider the security threats.
“I remind you that we are talking about the elected prime minister of Israel. A prime minister of Israel (Yitzhak Rabin) had previously been killed.”
Earlier, the attorney had asked that the trial be postponed until the war was over.
But when his request was rejected, Hadad requested a 15-day postponement, citing lack of preparation due to Netanyahu’s intense schedule leading the country during a war.
Last Tuesday, the Jerusalem District Court partly granted the PM a seven-day postponement of his scheduled testimony until next Monday.
The court’s decision means that Netanyahu is expected to testify three days per week for seven hours each time.
