Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Involved In Corruption Cases After Giving Rewards Due To Positive News

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu witnessed for the first time on Tuesday in a corruption trial. Netanyahu said he was being hunted because of his harsh security policy.

Netanyahu, 75, was the first Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime. He testified at the same time that Israel was involved in a war in Gaza and faced a possible new threat posed by regional turmoil, including in Syria.

Last week the judge ruled Netanyahu, who was indicted in 2019, had to testify three times a week, forcing the old Israeli leader to move between courtrooms and war rooms at Israel's Ministry of Defense, which is a few minutes from the court building.

The leader of the Likud far-right party Netanyahu attacked Israeli media for what he called the left-wing stance and accused journalists of hunting him for years because his policies were not in line with the desire to establish a Palestinian state.

"I have waited eight years until now to tell the truth," Netanyahu told a court of three judges.

"But I am also a prime minister. I lead this country through a seven-front war and I think both can be done in parallel," he added.

Prosecutors charged Netanyahu with providing regulatory assistance worth about 1.8 billion shekels (approximately 500 million SS dollars) to Israel's Bezeq Telecom in exchange for positive coverage of himself and his wife Sara on news sites controlled by the former company's chairman.

He is also accused of negotiating a deal with Israeli newspaper owner Yedioth Ahronoth for better coverage in exchange for legislation that slows the growth of rival newspapers.

Netanyahu denied the accusations against him and pleaded not guilty. He stood rather than sitting in the witness box throughout his morning testimony.

"If I wanted good coverage, all I had to do was give a signal towards a solution for the two countries. If I moved two steps to the left, I would be praised," he said.

In a long reply, Netanyahu called Israel's persistent security defenders able to withstand pressure from international powers and hostile domestic media.