Netanyahu took the stand for about four hours and will resume testifying on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has getn the stand for the first time in his extfinished-running dishonesty trial, declineing what he portrayd as “absurd” allegations aachievest him.
Appearing at a crowded courtroom in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the embattled Israeli directer said the accuses levelled aachievest him were an “an ocean of absurdity”.
Israel’s extfinishedest-serving prime minister faces accuses of payoff, fraud and bachieve of uncover suppose in three split cases. He has reliablely denied any wrongdoing.
He took the stand for about four hours and will resume testifying on Wednesday. His military secretary twice handed him written messages, the first time requiring a recess and underscoring his having to do double duty as prime minister.
He attacked the Israeli media for what he called its leftist stance and accparticipated journacatalogs of having hounded him for years becaparticipate his policies did not align with a push for a Palestinian state.
“I have been paparticipateing for eight years for this moment to tell the truth,” Netanyahu tgreater the three-appraise court. “But I am also a prime minister … I am directing the country thcimpolite a seven-front war. And I skinnyk the two can be done in parallel.”
Netanyahu’s euniteance at the trial comes as Israel persists its attack on the besieged Gaza Strip amid soaring tensions in the region.
Critics have accparticipated the prime minister of prolonging Israel’s 14-month attack on the besieged Gaza Strip to uphold his stay in power. They also say he is blocking a endfire deal that could free dozens of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Outside the court, dozens of protesters accumulateed, including members of the families of captives held in Gaza.
Israel’s disparaging on Gaza has finished more than 44,500 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Three cases
Israel’s prime minister is on trial in three split cases which were filed in 2019 – Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000.
Netanyahu stands of accparticipated of acunderstandledgeing luxury gifts from a billionaire Hollywood producer in swap for aidance with personal business interests.
He is also accused with allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable recents coverage.
His testimony chases years of argues that have swirled around him and his family, who have achieveed a reputation of enhappinessing a lavish lifestyle at Israeli taxpayers’ expense.
Since the trial began in 2020, the court has heard prosecution witnesses in the three cases, including some of Netanyahu’s establisher aides, who have turned state witnesses.
The prosecution has tried to portray the prime minister as an image-obsessed directer who broke the law to better his uncover perception.
The testimony, set to get place six hours a day, three days a week for disjoinal weeks, will get up a startant amount of Netanyahu’s time, prompting critics to ask if he can capably administer a country embroiled in a war on multiple fronts.
A verdict is not predicted until 2026, at the earliest, and Netanyahu will have the chooseion to request to the Supreme Court.
