Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 7:08PM |  52°
MENU
SECTIONS
OTHER
CLASSIFIEDS
CONTACT US / FAQ
Advertisement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday.
2
MORE

Benjamin Netanyahu launches tirade against Israeli justice system as corruption trial begins

Ronan Zvulun/Pool photo via AP

Benjamin Netanyahu launches tirade against Israeli justice system as corruption trial begins

JERUSALEM — To the sounds of his impassioned supporters chanting outside, a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode into a Jerusalem courtroom Sunday to face corruption charges in a long-awaited trial that has overshadowed three inconclusive elections and deeply divided the country.

As he entered the courthouse to become the country’s first sitting prime minister to go on trial, Mr. Netanyahu launched into a lengthy tirade against the nation’s justice system in which he accused police, prosecutors, judges and the media of a deep state-type conspiracy aimed to oust him against the will of the people.

“I stand before you with a straight back and head raised high,” he said, surrounded by leading Cabinet ministers of his Likud party. “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.”

Advertisement

The standoff, and Mr. Netanyahu’s own fiery rhetoric, looked to worsen the nation’s deep divisions just after Mr. Netanyahu swore in what he called a “unity” government with a former rival. Critics have said Mr. Netanyahu’s repeated attacks on the legal system risk irreversible damage to citizens’ faith in state institutions.

This handout picture released May 17, 2020, shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and alternate PM Benny Gantz during a swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Jerusalem.
Ruth Eglash
After three elections and political deadlock, Israel finally swears in new government

Outside the courthouse, hundreds of supporters rallied in his defense, packing a narrow street while waving Israeli flags and banners denouncing what they called a corrupt prosecution seeking to topple a leader of historic proportion. Others gathered at his official residence to demonstrate against what they called a “crime minister” and carried posters calling for his resignation. They faced off across police barricades with more of the prime minister’s backers.

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 favors to powerful media moguls in exchange for favorable 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, following public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. He refused to sit until TV cameras left the room and remained in the front row throughout the session.

Advertisement

During the proceedings, the lawyers and judges also wore masks, with the three-judge panel sitting behind a glass divider. In a hint of what could lie ahead, his lawyer said the defense would need several months to study the hundreds of reams of evidence and to build its legal team.

Mr. Netanyahu did not speak during the one-hour session, rising just once to confirm he understood the charges. He will not be required to attend future hearings during a case that legal analysts expect to stretch over several years. The next hearing was scheduled for July 19.

Before the session, Mr. Netanyahu said police and prosecutors had conspired “to stitch up” a case against him and 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 efforts to resuscitate the economy and prepare for a possible second wave of the coronavirus.

A panel of 11 Israeli Supreme Court judges arrive wearing face masks on Monday to hear arguments against the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition deal with his former rival, Benny Gantz, at the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem.
Josef Federman and Tia Goldenberg
Israeli Supreme Court: Netanyahu may form government

Mr. Netanyahu is not the first prime minister to go on trial. His predecessor, Ehud Olmert, went to prison for corruption but resigned long before the trial.

Mr. Netanyahu’s fitness for office was the key issue in the three deadlocked elections over the past year. After vowing never to sit with an indicted prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu’s challenger, Benny Gantz, agreed in March to form a power-sharing coalition with his rival, in part to prevent another election.

Mr. Gantz, who has made the defense of the legal system one his hallmarks, said he was sure Mr. Netanyahu would receive a fair trial.

“I repeat and emphasize that my colleagues and I have full faith in the justice system and law enforcement,” he tweeted.

Their new government was sworn in just last week for Mr. Netanyahu’s fourth consecutive term. 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.

Mr. Netanyahu and his allies have spent months lashing out at the law enforcement system, and a new round of attacks could test the new government.

Dozens of Netanyahu supporters outside the court in east Jerusalem wore masks and T-shirts depicting Mr. Netanyahu as a martyr and held posters lambasting the attorney general who indicted him.

“We won’t allow an image of Netanyahu being humiliated,” said Ran Carmi Buzaglo, one of the protesters. “The only reason that they forced him to come here, even though the law allows him to be absent, is to show an image of him in the defendant’s chair.”

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who recently filed a police complaint following anonymous threats against him, vowed that the case will be handled like any other — “in a professional, business-like manner and within the courtroom halls.”

“We will continue to act without fear, even against the preposterous attempts to associate non-professional interests to law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Several of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Cabinet ministers — including the newly appointed internal security minister, who overseas the police — came to the court to back him.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Mr. Netanyahu’s “wild and inciteful outburst” at the courthouse was “final proof that a criminal defendant cannot continue to be prime minister.”

In a sign of the tensions, the prosecutor in the case left the courtroom accompanied by a state-issued bodyguard because of threats against her.

Under the coalition deal, Mr. Netanyahu will remain prime minister for the next 18 months and then become “alternative prime minister” for the 18 months after. He will not be legally required to step down during what is expected to be a lengthy trial.

Associated Press writer Ilan Ben Zion contributed to this report.

First Published: May 24, 2020, 11:14 p.m.

RELATED
Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wear masks amid concerns over the coronavirus during a protest by in front of Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Sunday. The high court heard petitions Sunday that seek to block Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government because he has been charged with serious crimes.
Josef Federman
Israeli high court begins talks that could determine Benjamin Netanyahu's future
Former Israeli army chief Benny Gantz, who rivaled Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in the country's third election in a year, speaks during a campaign rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb. 29.
Ofira Koopmans
Israeli president reverses course, extends mandate of Netanyahu rival by 48 hours
A firefighter sprays disinfectant as a precaution‏ against the coronavirus at the Moshe Dayan Railway Station in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel, Sunday, March 22, 2020.
The Associated Press
Israel’s health minister diagnosed with COVID-19
Comments Disabled For This Story
Partners
Advertisement
Students at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus in Lemont Furnace, walk to class on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
1
news
Penn State to close some commonwealth campuses, President Bendapudi announces
The two Franks worked with pizza legends Chris Bianco and Chad Robertson to perfect their craft.
2
life
A beloved pizzeria is expanding beyond Brooklyn. First stop, Mt. Lebanon.
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
3
sports
Steelers GM Omar Khan says 'all options are on the table' for 2025 QB plans
Broderick Jones of the Pittsburgh Steelers takes to the field before the game /a at Acrisure Stadium on December 08, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
4
sports
Steelers plan to move Broderick Jones to left tackle
Traffic backs up near Millvale after a multi-vehicle crash closed Route 28 north on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
5
news
Man dies after possibly jumping from moving vehicle on Route 28 near Etna, police say
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, stands inside the court room as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday.  (Ronan Zvulun/Pool photo via AP)
People protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold banners outside his residence in Jerusalem on Sunday.  (Ariel Schalit/Associated Press)
Ronan Zvulun/Pool photo via AP
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story