Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, launching what is expected to be a week-long trial that will draw unwanted attention to his legal problems. and his opposition to an international arrest warrant for war crimes and whether fighting in Gaza continues.
It is the first time that an Israeli prime minister has appeared as a criminal defendant, an embarrassing milestone for a leader who has tried to cultivate an image as a distinguished and distinguished statesman.
“I waited eight years for this moment, to tell the truth,” Netanyahu said, standing at a podium in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom. He called the charges against him “a sea of nonsense” and promised that his version would cut the prosecution's case.
Netanyahu will answer when he appears in court to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
The testimony, which is set to take place six hours a day, three days a week for several weeks, will take up a large chunk of Netanyahu's working hours, prompting critics to ask whether a country can who are engaged in war to manage effectively on one front, including the collapse of a second, and monitor other possible regional threats, including from Iran or the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria recently.
Netanyahu, in his testimony, said he could “find a balance” between the two commitments.
His lawyer asked that he be allowed to take notes while testifying to ensure that he can continue to run the country.
Israeli officials say their military will maintain a 'limited' troop presence on the ground in Syria, hoping to eliminate any threat that may arise after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. Egypt has criticized Israel's “further occupation of Syrian territory”.
3 separate cases
The most serious case against Netanyahu involves a scandal involving him in which two of his former closest aides testified against him on suspicions of promoting management decisions worth hundreds of millions of dollars for the Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq. In return, Bezeq's popular news site Walla reportedly gave Netanyahu and his family favorable coverage.
Netanyahu is also said to have introduced legislation to a newspaper publisher that would weaken his paper's main competitor in return for more favorable coverage.
In addition, the Prime Minister is accused of taking nearly $200,000 in champagne and cigarettes from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and in exchange, he allegedly acted on Milchan's behalf on US visa issues , he tried to legislate generous tax breaks for him and tried to promote his interests. in the Israeli media market.
Netanyahu, 75, denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to rule him. long to apply.
Netanyahu appeared relaxed as he began to tell his version of events and share personal details about his life that could hopefully shape the judges' opinion of him. He said he used to lose sleep over the media, but learned it had no effect on him – compared to the prosecution's attempts to paint him as a figurehead.
He said he smoked cigars but could barely finish them because of his workload, but he hated champagne. One case revolves around receiving a “supply line” of cigars and champagne from billionaire associates.
Resignation calls for resignation
Dozens of people gathered outside the court in Tel Aviv, some protesting against Netanyahu, including family members of hostages held in Gaza, as well as a group of supporters. his A banner in front of the court read: “Minister of Crime.”
Under Israeli law, impeached prime ministers are not required to resign. But the accusations against Netanyahu split deep divisions in Israel, with activists calling for his resignation and former political allies refusing to serve in government with the Israeli leader, triggering a political crisis that led to five elections in less than four years starting in 2019.
Netanyahu's supporters see the charges as the result of collusion and overreach of the justice system.
An Israeli court rejected a request by Netanyahu's lawyers to reduce the expected hours of testimony, as well as several other requests to delay the start, which they said were necessary because of the prime minister's busy schedule and the country's great challenges. A decision is not expected until 2026 at the earliest and Netanyahu will have the option of appealing to the Supreme Court.
The court has spent months hearing prosecution witnesses in all three cases, including some of Netanyahu's closest aides who have turned state witnesses. The prosecutors have tried to portray the prime minister as a leader with an image who broke the law in order to improve his public opinion.
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Netanyahu's popular support plummeted following attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, with much of the public blaming his leadership for failing to stop the attack, and if elections were held today it would be difficult to form a government.
The Israeli leader, along with his former defense minister, also faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes related to the war in Gaza. Other leaders who have received ICC warrants include Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir.
