TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised defiantly on Tuesday to knock down corruption allegations against him as he began testifying in his long-running trial, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant.
The testimony is another low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza.
In his opening testimony in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom, Netanyahu argued that he was a dedicated leader and a defender of Israel’s interests, swatting away the charges against him as a “drop in the sea” compared to the challenges he has faced protecting his country.
But the charges have torn open divisions in Israel and complicated Netanyahu's legacy, which has also been tainted by the war in Gaza and the growing international isolation Israel faces because of it.
Speaking freely and appearing at ease, Netanyahu said he could balance appearing at his trial with his duties as prime minister at a time when Israel is still fighting a war in Gaza and contending with the fall of Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.
“I waited eight years for this moment, to say the truth,” Netanyahu said, standing at a podium, with his son Avner and several members of his Likud party seated on the courtroom benches. He said his testimony would “poke holes in the absurd accusations."
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’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assistance with personal and business interests. He is also accused of promoting advantageous regulations 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 out to topple his lengthy rule. His testimony caps years of scandals that have swirled around him and his family, who have gained a reputation as enjoying a lavish lifestyle at taxpayers' expense.
Netanyahu's testimony is taking place in an underground, fortified courtroom for security reasons. Outside the courthouse, dozens of protesters gathered, both supporters of Netanyahu and his opponents. A banner draped outside read “Crime Minister” as each side chanted slogans. Some families of hostages held in Gaza also demonstrated.
At the start of his testimony, a judge told Netanyahu he had the same privileges as other witnesses and could sit or stand as he chose.
Netanyahu told his version of events and shared personal details about his life that he might hope would shape the judges’ perception of him. He said at the start of his career in public service he would 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.
He said he smoked cigars but could hardly finish them because of his workload, and hated champagne.
Ahead of the testimony's start, Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, accused the Israeli justice system of making up the charges in an attempt to ensnare Netanyahu.
“There was a huge effort … to find a few pieces of a puzzle that don’t connect to each other,” Haddad said, as Netanyahu sat on a bench behind him. “In court, in the light of day, we see everything falls apart.”
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.
His lawyer asked that he be allowed to receive notes while testifying to help ensure he could continue running the country, and at some points during the trial, Netanyahu did.
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 bias and overreach by the justice system.
Despite the pressure, 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 number of hours of testimony, as well as several other requests to delay its start, which they said were necessary because of the prime minister’s busy schedule and the country’s significant challenges. A verdict isn’t expected until 2026 at the earliest and Netanyahu will have the option to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Since the trial began in 2020, the court has heard prosecution witnesses in the three cases, including some of Netanyahu’s once 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.
Netanyahu’s testimony could further tarnish his image at a complicated time. His popular support dropped after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, with the public blaming his leadership for failing to prevent the assault, and if elections were held today he would struggle to form a government. Israel is still fighting Hamas in Gaza with no end in sight, despite heavy international pressure to wind down the war, as well as pressure from the families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters to bring their loved ones home.
The Israeli leader along with his former defense minister also face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes charges related to the war in Gaza. The warrant puts Netanyahu in the same company as Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir.
Tia Goldenberg, The Associated Press