Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, setting off what’s expected to be a weekslong spectacle that will draw unwelcome attention to his legal woes as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues.
It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister takes the stand as a criminal defendant, an embarrassing milestone for a leader who has tried to cultivate an image as a sophisticated and respected statesman.
“I waited eight years for this moment, to say the truth,” Netanyahu said, standing at a podium in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom. He called the charges against him “an ocean of absurdness” and promised his version would cut through the prosecution’s case.
Netanyahu will answer during his court appearances to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
The testimony, set to take place six hours a day, three days a week for several weeks, will take up a significant chunk of Netanyahu’s working hours, prompting critics to ask if he can capably manage a country embroiled in a war on one front, containing the fallout from a second, and keeping tabs on other potential regional threats, including from Iran or the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Netanyahu, in his testimony, said he could “find a balance” between both commitments.
His lawyer asked that he be allowed to receive notes while testifying to help ensure he can continue running the country.
Israeli officials say its military will keep a ‘limited’ troop presence on the ground in Syria, hoping to head off any threat that could emerge in the fallout of president Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow. Egypt has condemned Israel’s ‘further occupation of Syrian lands.’
3 separate cases
The most damaging case against Netanyahu involves an influence-peddling scandal in which two of his formerly closest aides have testified against him on suspicions of promoting regulatory decisions worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israel’s Bezeq telecom company. In return, Bezeq’s popular news site, Walla, allegedly provided favourable coverage of Netanyahu and his family.
Netanyahu is also alleged to have offered a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paper’s main rival in return for more favourable coverage.
Moreover, the prime minister is accused of accepting nearly $200,000 in champagne and cigars from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and in exchange, he allegedly operated on Milchan’s behalf on U.S. visa matters, tried to legislate a generous tax break for him and sought 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 topple his lengthy rule.
Netanyahu appeared at ease as he began telling his version of events and shared personal details about his life that he might hope would shape the judges’ perception of him. He said he used to lose sleep over media coverage but learned it had no meaningful bearing — in contrast to the prosecution’s attempts to paint him as image-obsessed.
He said he smoked cigars but could hardly finish them because of his workload, but hated champagne. One case revolves around him receiving a “supply line” of cigars and champagne from billionaire associates.
Rebuffed calls to resign
Dozens of people gathered outside of the court in Tel Aviv, some protesting against Netanyahu, including family members of hostages held in Gaza, and also a group of his supporters. A banner draped in front of the court read: “Crime Minister.”
Under Israeli law, indicted prime ministers are not required to step down. But the charges against Netanyahu cleaved deep divisions in Israel, with protesters demanding he resign 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 beginning in 2019.
Netanyahu’s supporters view the charges as the result of the justice system’s bias and overreach.
An Israeli court rejected a request by Netanyahu’s lawyers to reduce the expected testimony hours, as well as several other requests to delay its start, which they said were necessary because of the prime minister’s busy schedule and the country’s significant challenges. A verdict isn’t expected until 2026 at the earliest and Netanyahu will have the option to appeal at the Supreme Court.
The court has spent months hearing prosecution witnesses in the three cases, including some of Netanyahu’s once closest aides who turned state witnesses. The prosecution has tried to portray the prime minister as an image-obsessed leader who broke the law to improve his public perception.
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Netanyahu’s popular support dropped after attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with large swathes of the public blaming his leadership for failing to prevent the assault, and if elections were held today he would struggle to form a government.
The Israeli leader, along with his former defence minister, also faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes charges 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.
