Benjamin Netanyahu lashes out at ’ludicrous’ graft charges as trial begins
Live MintIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at a Jerusalem court Sunday for the start of his long-delayed corruption trial, rejecting the "ludicrous" charges against him and declaring he was facing the hearing "with my head held high." "I came to demonstrate against the accused prime minister who uses his power to destroy the foundations of democracy," said Yoav Eitan, 39, at a rally of around 800 people outside Netanyahu's residence. That charge is also the most complex, said Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, who argued it differs from "classic" bribery cases where money changes hands. Yuval Shany, law professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argued that there is "a basic incompatibility" between Netanyahu's role as head of the government and his status as a criminal defendant.