Jan. 27 (UPI) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand during his corruption trial Monday in Tel Aviv, defending himself against two aides after failing to get the hearing delayed.
Netanyahu has been facing bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges since 2019.
The prime minister, who had been leading the country in the war against Hamas, which is now under a cease-fire, said he never considered key state witness Nir Hefetz a “confidant” and was concerned about his connection with powerful Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper owner Arnon Mozes.
The prime minister said he suspected Hefetz, his former communication aide, of leaks and fired him. Netanyahu said most of his former aides testifying against him were pressured to lie on the witness stand by prosecutors.
He blamed prosecutors for Hefetz’s testimony against him.
“At first, I was very angry with him, but after seeing the torture he went through, I understood the circumstances in which he was forced to satisfy his investigators,” Netanyahu said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Haddad often battled with judges over the questioning of the prime minister. Judge Moshe Baram pushed Haddad to ask more general questions of Netanyahu while Haddad argued that detailed questions were important in addressing the larger accusations of the charges.
The court had postponed Netanyahu’s testimony for two weeks following prostate surgery in late December. Haddad had argued to limit the days the prime minister could testify because he had not fully recovered from the operation, calling them “postoperative medical developments.”
The court, however, rejected the request after reviewing Netanyahu’s medical records, opting to give Netanyahu longer breaks during the testimony when needed.
