Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues.
Upon starting his testimony, Netanyahu said “hello” to the judges. One judge told him he had the same privileges as other witnesses and could sit or stand as he chose.
“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 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, The Associated Press reported.
Netanyahu will answer during his court appearances to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
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. His testimony caps years of scandals that have swirled around him and his family.
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 Assad in Syria.
Netanyahu, in his testimony, said he could “find a balance” between both commitments.
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.
Despite the pressure, the polarizing Netanyahu has rejected calls to step down and has used his position as prime minister to lash out at law enforcement, media and courts.
An Israeli court rejected a request by Netanyahu’s lawyers to reduce the expected testimony hours, as well as several other requests to delay the start of the testimony, which they said were necessary because of the prime minister’s busy schedule and the country's significant challenges.
