Benjamin Netanyahu has formally pleaded not guilty to corruption charges, as a high-profile trial against the Israeli prime minister resumed weeks before a national election.
Following a nearly-half-year hiatus and repeated delays due to the pandemic, hearings restarted on Monday.
As the session began, Netanyahu stood in a black surgical mask and was required by the judges to verbally confirm that he backed his lawyer’s written defence.
“I confirm the written answer submitted in my name,” Netanyahu told a three-judge panel.
The 71-year-old leader then jotted notes on a pad as his lawyers began to argue against the charges. Muffled chants of dozens of anti-Netanyahu protesters outside could be heard inside the courtroom. Some of the demonstrators held signs with the words “Crime Minister”.
Less than half an hour after the hearing started, Netanyahu stood, thanked the court and then left the room, without objections from the judges. His lawyers continued to speak as the prime minister’s motorcade departed outside.
The court had been expected to announce a schedule for the potentially explosive witness testimony and evidence stage of the trial, but did not set a timeframe. The prime minister could be required to appear in court multiple times a week.
Netanyahu’s lawyers asked for a delay of several months due to the complexity of the case, but the judges did not immediately announce their decision. His legal seem also argued against the case on procedural issues, accusing the attorney general of not following protocol.
Israel’s longest-serving leader is alleged to have accepted hundreds of thousands of pounds in luxury gifts from billionaire friends and traded valuable favours with Israeli media and telecoms moguls for favourable news coverage.
Netanyahu, the first serving Israeli premier to go on trial, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, alleging he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Regular court appearances could present an image problem for Netanyahu, who also faces discontent over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. For months, weekly protests calling on him to resign have been held outside his official residence in Jerusalem.
Israel, with a population of 9 million, is facing a relatively high death toll and infection rate.
Netanyahu is betting on a world-leading vaccination campaign to yield results before the 23 March national vote. More than one in three Israelis have received jabs, and last week the country opened vaccinations to anyone over the age of 16.
During the past two years, Israel has been engulfed in a protracted political crisis in which attempts to form a coalition government have repeatedly broken down. March’s election will be the country’s fourth within that timeframe.
Netanyahu’s steadfast popularity among many rightwing voters has been a central sticking point in the crisis. While his bickering rivals have sought to capitalise on the corruption allegations, it is unclear if the issue has significantly swayed the Israeli electorate.
Polls show Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party and its allies as coming out ahead, but without a majority in the 61-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament. A result of that kind could extend the political deadlock.
Indicted in 2019 in three separate cases, Netanyahu faces more than a decade in prison if convicted, although the trial could take years.
He is accused of accepting expensive gifts including champagne, jewellery and cigars, and colluding with Israeli media magnates to publish favourable stories about him while smearing his political opponents.
Unlike one of his predecessors, Ehud Olmert, who stepped down after it appeared he would be indicted, Netanyahu has refused to leave power.
Source: The Guardian
