An Israeli court on Sunday granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a temporary reprieve from testifying in his long-running corruption trial, citing national security concerns.

The decision came after Netanyahu’s legal team argued that his immediate attention was required for sensitive state matters following a ceasefire with Iran and ongoing hostilities in Gaza, where Israeli hostages remain in captivity.

In its ruling, the Jerusalem District Court said it had “partially accepted” the request and would cancel this week’s scheduled hearings. The judgment was shared by Netanyahu’s Likud party.

The court’s change of stance followed fresh input from the prime minister himself, as well as top security officials, including the heads of military intelligence and the Mossad.

Netanyahu’s defense had submitted his official schedule, insisting that the prime minister needed to prioritize pressing national and security challenges. Initially, the court had rejected the postponement request but reversed course after additional arguments were made in court.

The case took on a new political twist after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his support for Netanyahu over the weekend, calling the trial a “witch hunt” and urging that it be dropped.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the U.S. “will not stand for” the ongoing prosecution and demanded the charges be “cancelled immediately or a pardon given to a Great Hero.” Netanyahu publicly thanked Trump for his comments in a post on X.

Trump’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who condemned the former U.S. president’s intervention and urged him to respect the independence of Israel’s judiciary.

Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, is facing multiple corruption charges.

One case involves allegations that he and his wife Sara accepted over $260,000 worth of lavish gifts from cigars to jewelry in exchange for political favours from wealthy associates. In two additional cases, the prime minister is accused of attempting to secure favorable media coverage from major Israeli outlets.

The legal proceedings, which began in May 2020, have been subject to repeated delays many of them at Netanyahu’s request.

The current postponement adds to a list of interruptions that have plagued the trial over the years.

Since returning to power in late 2022, Netanyahu has championed controversial judicial reforms, widely criticized as efforts to erode the judiciary’s independence.

These proposals sparked months of mass protests, which only subsided with the outbreak of the Gaza conflict.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces renewed political pressure from former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

In a televised interview aired Saturday on Channel 12, Bennett criticized Netanyahu for fueling divisions within Israeli society and called for his departure from public office.

“Twenty years in power is too much it’s not healthy for the country,” said Bennett, who briefly ousted Netanyahu in 2021 before his coalition crumbled a year later.

Though speculation is growing around a potential political comeback, Bennett declined to confirm whether he would seek to challenge Netanyahu again.