Fraud trial of Israel prime minister's wife postponed

The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara - who was charged with fraud and breach of trust - has been postponed for three months, the court administration said on Monday.

Sara Netanyahu's trial, which was set to open at the Jerusalem magistrates court on July 19, will instead start on October 7, the court said.

The delay was approved by Judge Avital Chen "at the request of the state attorney's office and the accused's representative", it said, without providing further details.

Last month, Sara Netanyahu, 59, was charged with misusing state funds to buy delivery meals costing $100,000 (85,000 euros) by falsely declaring there were no cooks available at the premier's official residence.

From 2010 to 2013 Netanyahu, her family and guests received "fraudulently from the state hundreds of prepared meals (each including a number of courses) to the value of 359,000 shekels," the indictment read.

Netanyahu, a high-profile presence at her husband's side throughout his lengthy time in office, has denied any wrongdoing.

The Israeli prime minister dismissed the charges as "absurd".

In a speech last week, Binyamin Netanyahu delivered an impassioned defence of his wife ahead of the trial, saying she was "heroically" withstanding a media onslaught that has been "trampling her image".

"For 20 years, they have been trampling her image in the media every day and every night," the prime minister said, pounding his hand on the table. "Sara is an amazing woman, a wonderful mother, she was a perfect daughter to her parents and the media completely ignores all her public activity," he said.

Sara Netanyahu's legal woes come as the prime minister himself also faces several police investigations into alleged corruption, including accepting expensive gifts from billionaire friends.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and said they are the victims of a political witch hunt and hostile media.

Netanyahu is suspected of promoting regulations that provided hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for the company in return for more favourable coverage of the Netanyahu family on influential news site, Walla.

Israeli police have already recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases.