Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to testify for the first time in his corruption trial.
Netanyahu, who has frequently attempted to postpone his appearance in court, is Israel’s first sitting prime leader to face criminal charges.
He is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of public trust in three distinct incidents.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the Israeli prime minister is due to testify for the first time, replying to claims and testimony leveled against him, including those of former close aides.
Several individuals, including anti-Netanyahu demonstrators and supporters, gathered outside the court, while several right-wing politicians attended the session, which was held in an underground room due to security concerns.
According to an AFP correspondent outside the court, supporters of the prime minister screamed “Netanyahu, the people support you,” while demonstrators who had been marching against him for months chanted “Bibi to prison.”
“I’ll speak in court. “I am not fleeing,” Netanyahu stated during a news conference Monday evening.
“It has been eight years that I have waited for this day, eight years of wanting to present the truth, eight years waiting to completely demolish these absurd and baseless accusations against me,” he said, labelling it a “relentless witch hunt”.
