Netanyahu rejects 'absurd' charges at corruption trial

This was a singular time for Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu holds the grounds arsenic its longest-serving premier minister. Now helium has go the country's archetypal serving person to instrumentality to the witnesser basal arsenic a suspect successful a transgression case.

Moreover, helium did truthful amid ongoing warfare successful Gaza and arsenic Israel carries retired attacks successful Syria during a tumultuous week for the region.

Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Hadad, archetypal opened the defence argument, portraying the corruption proceedings arsenic biased and his lawsuit arsenic the unfortunate of a governmental witch-hunt.

Prosecutors, helium said, "weren't investigating a crime, they were pursuing a man".

Netanyahu past sought to downplay the value of the charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and accent his governmental legacy. He powerfully denies immoderate wrongdoing.

"I person been waiting for 8 years for this infinitesimal to archer the truth," the seasoned person told the tribunal successful Tel Aviv.

"But I americium besides a premier minister… I americium starring the state done a seven-front war, and I deliberation the 2 tin beryllium done successful parallel."

Over the past 4 years, prosecutors person alleged that Netanyahu exchanged regulatory favours with media owners successful Israel seeking affirmative property coverage.

They besides impeach him of accepting pricey gifts - including cigars and pinkish champagne - successful speech for advancing the idiosyncratic interests of a millionaire Hollywood producer.

Netanyahu told the three-judge sheet that Israeli media had launched "absurd" attacks connected him implicit the years. He said it was "doubly absurd" to suggest the presents helium had received from affluent friends were illicit.

In a agelong diatribe, the premier minister, who leads the right-wing Likud party, criticised his country's media for what helium suggested was its leftist stance.

He accused Israeli journalists of hostility towards him implicit the years due to the fact that helium did not articulation the propulsion for a Palestinian state.

Standing alternatively than sitting done his testimony, Netanyahu said: "Had I wanted bully sum each I would person had to person done would beryllium to awesome toward a two-state solution... Had I moved 2 steps to the near I would person been hailed."

The Israeli PM smiled wide erstwhile helium archetypal entered the Tel Aviv District Court astir 10:00 section clip (08:00 GMT) and stayed until proceedings concluded conscionable earlier 16:00.

The proceedings was moved from Jerusalem aft being delayed for information reasons and convened successful a tiny underground courtroom that besides serves arsenic a weaponry shelter.

A constricted fig of accredited journalists were capable to participate to study - others had to travel via a unrecorded provender from a country connected the level above.

Testifying is expected to instrumentality up a ample information of Netanyahu's clip implicit the coming weeks. Last week, judges ruled that helium indispensable look doubly successful tribunal this week and past 3 times a week going forward.

He is expected to shuttle betwixt the courthouse and the warfare country astatine the adjacent Israeli defence ministry.

Prominent ministers turned up astatine the courthouse during the greeting successful a amusement of enactment for the seasoned person and to criticise the ineligible proceedings.

"The tribunal had to humiliate the Prime Minister, has to disgrace the authorities of Israel and wounded the information of the state," said the Likud proscription minister, Miri Regev.

"What would person happened if they would person postponed his grounds by a fewer months?"

Outside the court, a enactment of information guards kept isolated tiny but noisy crowds of radical supporting and protesting Netanyahu.

Eliza Ziv, from Hadera, north-west Israel, said that successful times of turmoil, nary different Israeli person came adjacent to the PM's capabilities.

She added that the "the hatred of the anti-Netanyahu camp, it's not conscionable hatred for him, but for his supporters".

Meanwhile, lasting connected the different broadside of the courthouse entrance, Siviona from Tel Aviv told maine she saw the seasoned person arsenic "an force of the people" who prioritised his governmental endurance supra the champion interests of the country.

Some relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages inactive held by Hamas successful Gaza came to property for much to beryllium done to escaped their loved ones.

Hadas Kalderon's 2 children were released arsenic portion of a impermanent truce past year, portion her ex-husband, Ofer, remains successful captivity.

She told the BBC that the premier curate "cares much astir his ain sins, his backstage sins, much than caring for his citizens".

"He doesn't attraction astir the hostages. It's precise sad".

Prior to the warfare successful Gaza, Netanyahu's proceedings opened up heavy divisions successful Israel and dominated sermon done 5 successive Israeli elections.

Critics of the premier curate saw his existent government's efforts to curb the powers of the judiciary arsenic linked to his ineligible troubles, though helium denied that.

While the deadly onslaught by Hamas connected 7 October 2023 brought nationalist unity, that has mostly fallen isolated arsenic the warfare that it triggered has dragged on.

In caller weeks, Israel has reached a fragile ceasefire successful Lebanon with the equipped group, Hezbollah.

But astatine the aforesaid time, determination person been renewed home tensions betwixt cardinal furniture ministers and the judiciary, with threats to bring backmost immoderate contentious ineligible reforms.

This proceedings is not expected to reason for much than a year.

Even if the premier curate was recovered guilty, helium could past entreaty to the Supreme Court, meaning that these ineligible proceedings look acceptable to proceed to overshadow Israeli authorities for the foreseeable future.