Benjamin Netanyahu to take the stand for the first time in his corruption trial

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to appear in court later for the first time in his long-running corruption trial.

The Israeli prime minister has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Judges have ruled he must testify three times a week, despite the ongoing war in Gaza war and new threats in the Middle East, including neighbouring Syria.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage.

He denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.

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In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu described the investigations against him as a witch hunt.

“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.

And 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.

Before the war, his legal troubles bitterly divided Israelis and shook Israeli politics through five rounds of elections.

His government’s bid last year to curb the powers of the judiciary further polarised the country.

However, the shock Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and the ensuing Gaza war swept Netanyahu’s trial off the public agenda.