YEARS
“I have been waiting for eight years for this moment to tell the truth,” Netanyahu told the three judges hearing the case. But I am also a Prime Minister. I am leading the country through war on seven fronts. And I think both can be done in parallel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand for the first time on Tuesday in his long-running corruption trial, which will likely force him to juggle between the courtroom and the war room for weeks. Netanyahu, 75, is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime. He is the country’s longest-serving leader, having been in power almost continuously since 2009. “I have been waiting for eight years for this moment to tell the truth,” Netanyahu told the three judges hearing the case. But I am also a Prime Minister. I am leading the country through war on seven fronts. And I think both can be done in parallel.
He smiled confidently as he entered the Tel Aviv District Court around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT). For undisclosed security reasons the trial was moved from Jerusalem and convened in an underground courtroom, a 15-minute walk from the country’s defense headquarters. Before Netanyahu took the stand, his lawyer Amit Hadad told judges the defense had fundamental flaws in the investigation. Hadad said they were not investigating a crime, they were going after a person.
A few dozen protesters gathered outside the court, some of them supporters and others demanding that he make more efforts to negotiate the release of about 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Israel has been waging a war against the Palestinian militant group in Gaza for more than a year, during which time Netanyahu was granted a delay in beginning his court appearance. But last Thursday judges ruled that he must begin testifying.
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