Israel PM Netanyahu pleads not guilty as corruption trial resumes
Al JazeeraBenjamin Netanyahu returns to court to face three corruption allegations just six weeks ahead of an election. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to court and pleaded not guilty to corruption charges as his trial enters an intensified phase six weeks before an election. Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted in office, was charged last year over allegations he accepted improper gifts and sought to trade regulatory favour with media moguls in exchange for positive coverage. The trial schedule may force Netanyahu to appear in court multiple times a week as he campaigns ahead of Israel’s fourth election in less than two years to be held on March 23. “For your health, I’m asking you, don’t come.” Netanyahu has served as Israel’s prime minister since 2009, and in the past two years has managed to hang onto power through three tumultuous, deadlocked elections.