Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take the witness stand on Tuesday almost five years after he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, making him the first incumbent Israeli prime minister to testify as a criminal defendant.
Netanyahu tried without success to delay his testimony due to the wartime situation but was granted only a partial delay in late November.
The Jerusalem District Court also rejected last-minute requests for delay from the Speaker of the Knesset on Sunday and from the Security Cabinet on Monday, which cited the “exceptional security situation” following the fall of the Assad regime.
In November, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war in part to dodge his legal troubles.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office contacted Likud Party ministers and Knesset members, requesting them to come to the Tel Aviv District Court, where he will give his testimony, ostensibly to lend moral support.
Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing all along, saying he is the victim of a witch hunt orchestrated by a biased media and justice system.
During a press conference on Monday, Netanyahu lashed out at the press, saying, “I heard in the media that I want to avoid the trial. I want to avoid? What nonsense.”
Referring to the start of the investigations against him in 2016, he said, “Eight years I’ve been waiting for this day. Eight years I’ve been waiting to present the truth. Eight years I’ve been waiting to finally blow up the delusional and unfounded accusations directed against me,” he said.
“These investigations were born in sin. There was no offense, so they went looking for an offense. They found no offense, so they invented an offense,” he said.
Netanyahu was indicted in three cases: Case 1000 (“Gifts Affair”); Case 2000 (“Netanyahu-Mozes”); and Case 4000 (“Bezek-Walla”).
In Case 1000, he is accused of receiving cigars, champagne, and jewelry totaling $192,000 from two wealthy businessmen, Arnon Milchan and James Packer.
In Case 2000, Netanyahu is accused of striking a deal with Yediot Ahronot owner Arnon Mozes for favorable coverage in exchange for legislation limiting rival Israel Hayom.
In Case 4000, Netanyahu is accused of granting regulatory favors to Shaul Elovitch, owner of telecommunications giant Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage on the Walla news portal, owned by Elovitch, for himself and his wife, Sara Netanyahu.
The trial began in May 2020.
