JERUSALEM: Israel鈥檚 attorney general on Thursday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 request to postpone a court hearing over corruption allegations against him, media reports said.
The prosecutor鈥檚 office said Netanyahu had requested 鈥渢hat the hearing be delayed due to the dissolution of the Knesset and the elections due on September 17鈥� to a date after the polls, the Ynet news site said.
After considering the matter, the prosecutor鈥檚 office said 鈥渘othing justified agreeing to the request to change the dates fixed for the hearing,鈥� it added.
Netanyahu is facing possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the months ahead and is reportedly seeking legislation in the new parliament that would result in him being granted immunity.
Last month, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit pushed back to October the date by which Netanyahu needed to respond to the allegations against him.
The prosecutor鈥檚 office stressed that the hearing scheduled for October 2 and 3 would not be delayed 鈥渘ot even for one day.鈥�
鈥淭he new elections constitute exceptional circumstances to which exceptional attention must be accorded,鈥� Netanyahu responded on Thursday.
Netanyahu called new elections late last month after failing to form a coalition.
Israel will now head to the polls again in September, just over five months after an April election that saw Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious allies win a majority.
Netanyahu is also on track to become Israel鈥檚 longest-serving prime minister in July, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.