Defiant Benjamin Netanyahu rails against police, court
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused police and prosecutors of conspiring to depose him.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a tirade against Israel’s justice system as he arrived at court on Sunday for the start of his corruption trial, accusing police and prosecutors of conspiring to “depose” him.
Flanked by ministers and bodyguards, Mr Netanyahu entered the Jerusalem District Court condemning the “fabricated and ludicrous” allegations and declared: “I’m here with a straight back and my head held high.
“When you need to take me down, a strong prime minister from the right, everything is possible,” he told reporters.
Mr Netanyahu’s comments opened what is sure to be a tumultuous period for Israel as he becomes the country’s first sitting prime minister to go on trial. Hundreds of protesters calling him the “crime minister” demonstrated outside his official residence, while hundreds of supporters, including leading members of his Likud party, rallied in support of him at the courthouse.
Mr Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts and offering to grant favours to powerful media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of him and his family. He denies the charges, which come after years of scandals swirling around the family.
Mr Netanyahu entered the Jerusalem courtroom wearing a blue surgical mask, in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. He stood and talked to his lawyers, refusing to sit until TV cameras left the room.
In a hint of what could lie ahead, his lawyers said they would need two to three months to respond to the arraignment, and said they needed additional funds to add to their legal team.
When he arrived at the courthouse, Mr Netanyahu revived his claims that he was the victim of a deep state-type conspiracy by media, police, prosecutors and judges out to oust him.
“The objective is to depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country for many years,” he said. Police and prosecutors had conspired to “tailor” a case against him, he said, adding that the evidence was “contaminated” and exaggerated.
He called for the court proceedings to be broadcast live on TV to ensure “full transparency.”
“While the media continues to deal with nonsense, with these false, trumped-up cases, I will continue to lead the state of Israel and deal with issues that really matter to you,” he said, including to resuscitate the economy and “continue to save the lives of thousands of Israelis ahead of the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus”.
Critics have said Mr Netanyahu’s arguments have undermined Israel’s court system and risk deeper damage to the country’s democratic institutions. The Prime Minister was forced to attend Sunday’s hearing after his request to have his lawyers represent him instead was rejected.
The dramatic scene came just days after the long-serving leader swore in his new government, breaking more than a year of political stalemate following three inconclusive elections.
Mr Netanyahu held his first cabinet meeting with the new government just hours before heading to court. Neither he nor any of his ministers addressed the looming trial but the country’s outgoing Religious Affairs Minister wished Mr Netanyahu that “God will bring the truth out” at his trial.
Mr Netanyahu and his allies have spent months lashing out the country’s law enforcement system, and the charges against him have deeply divided the nation.
Ahead of the trial, two sets of protests and counter-protests gathered outside the courthouse and the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem. Dozens of Netanyahu supporters outside the court wore masks with the Prime Minister’s face.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the attending cabinet ministers of fomenting violence and trying to intimidate the judges.
AP, AFP
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