Lawyers for Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday slammed prosecutors who rejected the prime minister's request to be absent from the courtroom at the beginning of his corruption trial on Sunday.
Netanyahu submitted a request to the Jerusalem District Court to be excused from the reading of criminal charges against him on Sunday, claiming the proceedings would be no more than a technicality.
Amit Haddad and Micha Fetman, who represent the PM, claimed the state is participating in a media campaign launched by Netanyahu's opponents who would like to see him in the role of accused.