Tel Aviv, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, setting off what is expected to be a weeklong spectacle that will draw unwanted attention to the his legal troubles as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and fighting in Gaza continues. It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has taken 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.
At the start of his testimony, Netanyahu said “hello” to the judges. A judge told him he had the same privileges as other witnesses and could sit or stand as he pleased.
“I waited eight years for this moment, to tell the truth,” Netanyahu said, standing at the podium of a packed room in Tel Aviv. He called the charges against him “an ocean of nonsense” and vowed that his version would cut through the prosecution’s case.
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Netanyahu appeared calm as he began to tell his side of events, sharing personal details about his life that he could hope would shape the judges’ perception of him. He said he used to lose sleep over the media coverage but learned it had no significant connection, 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.
His lawyer asked that he be allowed to take notes while testifying to ensure he can continue to lead the country.
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 in cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for helping him with personal and business interests. He is also accused of promoting favorable regulation for media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of himself and his family.
Netanyahu, 75, denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system to topple his long rule. His testimony culminates years of scandals that have revolved around him and his family.
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 working hours, prompting critics to question whether he can capably manage a country engulfed in a war on one front contain the fallout of a second and watch other possible regional threats, such as Iran or the recent fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria.
Netanyahu, in his testimony, said he could “find a balance” between both commitments.
Dozens of people gathered outside the court in Tel Aviv, some protesting against Netanyahu, including relatives of hostages held in Gaza, as well as a group of his supporters. A banner draped outside the courthouse read: “Minister of Crime.”
Under Israeli law, accused prime ministers are not required to resign. But the charges against Netanyahu ripped deep divisions in Israel, with protesters demanding his resignation and former political allies refusing to serve in government with the Israeli leader, sparking a political crisis that has led to five elections in less than four years from 2019. He passed. political turmoil just two years ago by reaching an agreement with smaller right-wing parties that had long languished on the fringes of Israeli politics, for form the most ultra-right government in the country never
Netanyahu’s supporters see the charges as the result of partiality and miscarriage of justice, while his opponents have accused him of prolonging the war in Gaza in an attempt to distract, if not delay, his own court proceedings . Netanyahu launched the war against Gaza’s Hamas rulers immediately after carrying out its brutal October 7, 2023 terror attack against Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 more hostage.
Despite the pressure, the polarizing Netanyahu has rejected calls to resign and has used his position as prime minister to attack law enforcement, the media and the courts.
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 busy schedule of the prime minister and the country’s important challenges. A verdict 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 from prosecution witnesses in all three cases, including some of Netanyahu’s 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.
The most damaging case against Netanyahu involves an influence-peddling scandal in which two of his closest former aides have testified against him on suspicion of promoting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of regulation at the telecommunications company Bezeq of Israel. In return, Bezeq’s popular news site, Walla, allegedly provided favorable coverage of Netanyahu and his family.
Netanyahu is also alleged to have offered the newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paper’s main rival in exchange for more favorable coverage.
In addition, the prime minister is accused of accepting nearly $200,000 in champagne and cigars from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, and in return he allegedly operated on behalf of Milchan on American visa issues, tried to legislate a generous tax break for him and tried to promote his interests in the Israeli media market.
Netanyahu’s testimony could further tarnish his image at a complicated time for Israel’s longest-serving leader. His popular support plummeted after the October 2023 attack by Hamas, with the public blaming his leadership for failing to prevent the assault, and if elections were held today, polls suggest he would struggle to form another new government.
Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza with no end in sight, despite strong international pressure to end the war, as well as pressure from the families of hostages still held in Gaza and their supporters to bring their loved ones home .
The Israeli leader, along with his former defense minister, also faces arrest order of the International Criminal Court for war crimes charges related to the Gaza war, which his office has dismissed as “absurd and false actions and charges”.