Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu appeared at a Tel Aviv courthouse on Tuesday to take the stand for the first time in a long-running corruption trial.
Netanyahu arrived around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) while a few dozen protesters gathered outside to demand he do more to negotiate the release of some 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has been waging war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group for more than a year, during which Netanyahu had been granted a delay for the start of his court appearances. But last Thursday, judges ruled that he must start testifying.
Charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, Netanyahu will testify three times a week, the court said, despite the Gaza war and possible new threats posed by wider turmoil in the Middle East, including in neighboring Syria.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favors for media tycoons in return for favorable coverage. He denies any wrongdoing.
In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu described investigations against him as a witch hunt. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
“The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public’s elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters’ choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
At a Monday night press conference, Netanyahu said he had waited eight years to be able to tell his story and expressed outrage at the way witnesses had been treated during investigations.
The trial resumes as Israel continues its war against Hamas, which began after a devastating attack by the militant group on October 7, 2023.
His courtroom appearances come as his government grapples with new threats from neighboring countries like Syria and the fallout of a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Hamas’ Lebanese ally.