JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be called to give testimony on Tuesday in the corruption cases against him at the Tel Aviv District Court, setting into motion the trial’s defense phase. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. He denies any wrongdoing.
The testimony will be given in a fortified courtroom in Tel Aviv, even though the case is being tried in the Jerusalem District Court. The decision was made so Netanyahu could deliver his testimony in a location that fits his security needs.
Netanyahu is expected to take the stand on Wednesday as well, together with additional defense witnesses. The testimony phase is expected to continue for several weeks and possibly even months. The hearings will be held three times a week – on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
During a press conference on Monday, Netanyahu addressed claims that he wants to avoid trial. “I want to avoid trial? Nonsense! For eight years I’ve been waiting for this day, to dissolve the baseless accusations. There was no crime, so they searched for a crime.”
On Thursday Netanyahu stated that “The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public’s elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters’ choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy.”
Over the past few weeks, Netanyahu tried to reduce the time he would have to be present in court, but the judges did not accept his request. Cabinet members and other ministers also sent requests to the Attorney General and the court, claiming that this is a crucial time in Israel’s war and the prime minister needs to be able to focus all of his attention on it, but the court rejected these requests as well.
As reported by VINnews