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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly promised Tuesday to overturn corruption allegations against him as he began testifying at his lengthy trial, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant.
The testimony is another low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza.
In his opening testimony in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom, Netanyahu argued that he was a dedicated leader and defender of Israel’s interests, dismissing the charges against him as a “drop in the bucket” compared to the challenges facing him. has faced to protect his country. .
But the accusations have opened divisions in Israel and complicated Netanyahu’s legacy, which has also been tarnished by the conflict in Gaza and the growing international isolation Israel faces because of it.
Speaking freely and appearing calm, Netanyahu said he was able to balance appearing at his trial with his duties as prime minister at a time when Israel is still fighting a conflict in Gaza and dealing with the fall of Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.
“To tell you the truth, I waited eight years for this moment,” Netanyahu said, standing at a podium, with his son Avner and several members of his Likud party sitting on benches in the courtroom. He said his testimony would “poke holes in the absurd accusations.”
Netanyahu will answer during his court appearances to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
He is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assistance in his personal and business interests. He is also accused of promoting advantageous regulations for media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of him and his family.
Netanyahu, 75, denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system seeking to overthrow his long rule. His testimony caps years of scandals that have swirled around him and his family, who have earned a reputation for enjoying a lavish lifestyle at taxpayers’ expense.
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Netanyahu’s testimony will take place in a fortified underground room for security reasons. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the court, both supporters of Netanyahu and his opponents. A banner hung outside read “Crime Minister” as each side chanted slogans. Some families of hostages held in Gaza also demonstrated.
At the beginning of his testimony, a judge told Netanyahu that he had the same privileges as other witnesses and could sit or stand as he wanted.
Netanyahu told his side of the story and shared personal details about his life that could be expected to shape the judges’ perception of him. He said that early in his career in public service he would lose sleep over media coverage, but found it was of no consequence, in contrast to prosecutors’ attempts to portray him as image-obsessed.
He said he smoked cigarettes but could barely finish them because of his workload and that he hated champagne.
Before the start of testimony, Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad accused the Israeli justice system of fabricating the charges in an attempt to ensnare Netanyahu.
“There was a huge effort… to find some pieces of a puzzle that don’t connect together,” Haddad said, as Netanyahu sat on a bench behind him. “In court, in the light of day, we see everything falling apart.”
The testimony, which will take place six hours a day, three days a week for several weeks, will take up a significant portion of Netanyahu’s work hours, leading critics to question whether he can capably manage a country embroiled in a conflict on one front, including the consequences of a second, and monitor other potential regional threats, including Iran.
His lawyer asked that he be allowed to receive notes while testifying to help ensure he could continue to run the country, and at some points during the trial, Netanyahu did so.
Under Israeli law, accused prime ministers are not required to resign. But the charges against Netanyahu split deep divisions in Israel: Protesters demanded his resignation and former political allies refused to be part of the Israeli leader’s government, triggering a political crisis that led to five elections in less than four years. of 2019.
Netanyahu’s supporters see the charges as a result of the judicial system’s bias and overreach.
Despite the pressure, Netanyahu has rejected calls to resign and used his position as prime minister to lash out at law enforcement, the media and the courts.
An Israeli court rejected a request by Netanyahu’s lawyers to reduce the planned number of hours of testimony, as well as several other requests to delay its start, which they said were necessary due to the prime minister’s busy schedule and the country’s significant challenges. . A verdict is not expected until 2026 at the earliest and Netanyahu will have the option of appealing to the Supreme Court.
Since the trial began in 2020, the court has heard from prosecution witnesses in all three cases, including some of Netanyahu’s closest aides who became state witnesses. Prosecutors have tried to portray the prime minister as an image-obsessed leader who broke the law to improve his public perception.
Netanyahu’s testimony could further tarnish his image at a difficult time. Its popular support fell after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, with the public blaming its leadership for failing to prevent the attack, and if elections were held today, it would have difficulty forming a government. Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza with no end in sight, despite strong international pressure to end the conflict, as well as pressure from the families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters to bring their loved ones back. dears home.
The Israeli leader along with his former defense minister also face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on alleged war crimes charges related to the conflict in Gaza. The order puts Netanyahu in the same company as Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir.
