Netanyahu lashes out at justice system as trial begins
JERUSALEM — To the sounds of his impassioned supporters chanting outside, a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode into a Jerusalem courtroom Sunday to face corruption charges in a longawaited trial that has overshadowed three inconclusive elections and deeply divided the country.
As he became the country’s first sitting prime minister to go on trial, Netanyafor hu launched into a lengthy tirade against the nation’s justice system in which he accused police, prosecutors, judges and the media of a deep state-type conspiracy aimed to oust him against the will of the people.
“I stand before you with a straight back and head raised high,” he said, surrounded by leading Cabinet ministers of his Likud party. “The objective is to depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country
many years.”
Outside the courthouse, hundreds of supporters rallied in his defense, packing a narrow street while waving Israeli flags and banners denouncing what they called a corrupt prosecution seeking to topple a leader of historic proportion. Others gathered at his official residence to demonstrate against a “crime minister” and carried posters calling for his resignation.
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts and offering to grant favors to powerful media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of him and his family. He denies the charges, which come after years of scandals swirling around the family.
Netanyahu entered the courtroom wearing a blue surgical mask, following public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. He refused to sit until
TV cameras left the room, and remained in the front row throughout the session.
During the proceedings, the lawyers and judges also wore masks, with the threejudge panel sitting behind a glass divider. His lawyer said the defense would need several months to study the hundreds of reams of evidence and to build its legal team.
Netanyahu will not be required to attend future hearings during a case legal analysts expect to stretch over several years.