After 98 hearings over the past year and a half — many of them shortened or canceled — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completed his testimony on Wednesday in his ongoing criminal trial, in which he is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
“I am finishing after 10 years of hell — there is no other word for it,” Netanyahu said at the end of the hearing.
(Photo: Miriam Alster)
Speaking in court, Netanyahu argued that the legal proceedings were politically motivated. “When I am trying to lead the country through some of the greatest challenges in its history, I am facing this vile, false and malicious process that is aimed not only at harming individual rights but at undermining the public’s right to choose its leader,” he said.
He added: “You cannot give back these 10 years — not to me, not to my family, and not to families who have been affected. To cast such a wide net and trap people in such a transparent and distorted way — the truth and justice must come out.”
His defense attorney, Amit Hadad, thanked the judges, saying: “You showed patience and consideration. It is not something to be taken for granted. I don’t think we will be missed.”
The presiding judge, Rivka Friedman-Feldman, then declared: “And with that, the hearings in the Tel Aviv court are concluded.”