Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun testifying in a Tel Aviv courtroom in his long-running corruption trial, becoming the first sitting Israeli prime minister to take the stand as a criminal defendant.
Wearing a blue suit and white shirt, an Israeli flag on one lapel and a yellow flag, Netanyahu said: “I have been waiting for this moment to say the truth for eight years as I remember it. This is important for justice. ” he said. On the other side is a ribbon symbol of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.
“But I'm also prime minister. I'm leading the country through a seven-front war. And I think the two can run in parallel.”
Calling the accusations against him a “sea of absurdity,” he has wavered between emphasizing his international importance and portraying himself and his family as victims, promising that his interpretation will guide the prosecution's case. did.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three separate cases, and the first trial is expected to involve several days of questioning by his defense attorney.
The 75-year-old accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigars and champagne from billionaire Hollywood producers in exchange for supporting his personal and business interests, and also received media attention in exchange for favorable coverage. He has been accused of promoting regulations that favor bigwigs. About himself and his family.
He has denied any wrongdoing and said the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system to overthrow his long-term rule.
The court has spent months hearing prosecution witnesses in the three cases, including one of Netanyahu's former closest aides who has become a state witness. has testified in detail that he is a dominant and image-obsessed person.
Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked on Tuesday by lawyer Amit Haddad about accusations that he had “used his position to receive benefits worth hundreds of thousands of shekels,” calling the allegations “completely false.” He said there is.
Netanyahu's tactic on the first day of the trial appeared to be to treat the trial as a political event, listing his many political accomplishments in hopes of swaying the judges.
In his opening response, Prime Minister Netanyahu took the opportunity to portray himself as a person of global importance, a civil servant with no interest in the media, and one who needs constant connection while the trial progresses.
At one point, he appeared to criticize the Obama administration's Middle East policy, and at another he complained about media coverage of him and his wife, depicting himself working long hours.
“I work 17, 18 hours a day,” he said. “Anyone who knows me knows this. That's how I work. I eat at my work table, but it's not Cordon Bleu, and I wear white gloves. Not even the waiter who comes over.”
He smoked cigars but said he could hardly finish them due to his workload and hated champagne.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's testimony is based on evidence from 120 prosecution witnesses in three cases, commonly known as Cases 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000. Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived at the courthouse first, looking serious and somewhat haggard as he shook hands with ministers and members of parliament who came to support him upon his arrival.
Other government ministers, including Israel's justice minister, also issued statements of support before the proceedings. The prime minister's critics and supporters staged a counter-demonstration outside the court building.
The right-wing populist politician, who is also wanted on an international warrant issued by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Gaza, insisted he would welcome the opportunity to give evidence in a recorded video address on Monday night. Despite this, I had been trying to avoid this day for a long time. .
His appearance in a small, stuffy and crowded courtroom followed a last-minute effort by his political allies in the Knesset to postpone the court date, citing clashes over the vote and Israel's security situation. That's true.
In his opening speech, Haddad criticized the indictment against his client, saying, “Israeli police did not investigate a crime, they investigated a person,'' and described the process against Prime Minister Netanyahu as similar to that seen in “Russia or North Korea.'' provocatively compared it to
The appointment is an embarrassment for a leader who has sought to cultivate an image as a polished and respected politician while also making high-profile attempts to sideline Israel's independent judiciary. .
Dozens of people gathered outside the court in Tel Aviv, including families of hostages held in Gaza and a group of Netanyahu supporters, to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A banner hung in front of the courtroom read “Minister of Crime.''
Under Israeli law, a prime minister who is indicted does not have to resign. Nevertheless, the accusations against Prime Minister Netanyahu have exposed deep divisions in Israel. Protesters have demanded his resignation and his former political allies have refused to accept him into government, sparking a political crisis that has seen five elections in less than four years since 2019.
Before the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legal problems sharply divided Israelis and rocked Israeli politics through five elections. Last year, the government's attempts to curtail judicial power further polarized the Israeli public.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's trial has been wiped from the public agenda as Israelis unite in grief and trauma following Hamas' shocking attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza. But as the war dragged on, political unity began to crumble.
