Tel Aviv | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Tuesday set to take the stand in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, setting off what is expected to be a lengthy spectacle that will draw unwelcome attention to his legal woes as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues.

It was to be the first time an Israeli prime minister took the stand as a criminal defendant, an embarrassing milestone for a leader who has tried to cultivate an image as a sophisticated and respected statesman.

AP