TEL AVIV - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified on Tuesday in his corruption trial, becoming the country’s first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant and marking an unprecedented moment in its political history.
The trial unfolds against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, an Israeli incursion into Syria and a tenuous ceasefire in Lebanon.
Netanyahu has spent years attempting to avoid appearing in court, with critics accusing him of undermining Israel’s judicial system. Most recently, he encouraged members of his right-wing Likud party to call for the attorney general’s removal.
“The only thing in front of me is the future of the state, not my own future,” Netanyahu said after being sworn in. He pledged to “tell my truth, to the best of my recollection,” and refused to take a seat at the defendants’ bench until television journalists left the room. The proceedings were covered by a press pool.
Netanyahu expressed hope that the trial “will not be interrupted too much,” citing his responsibilities to the army and the state. During the first hours of his testimony, notes were delivered to him - evidence, he claimed, of the pressing issues outside the underground courtroom.
“I want to testify, but I am leading Israel on seven fronts,” he said, listing Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Iran. “We must strike the right balance between the needs of the court and the needs of the nation.”
The stakes are high - both for Netanyahu, who could face jail time, and for the court itself, which his far-right supporters have described as a threat to democracy.
Here’s what to know.
**What is Netanyahu on trial for?**
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases brought more than four years ago. He is accused of exploiting his office for personal gain, accepting extravagant gifts - including champagne, cigars, jewelry and other items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars - in exchange for diplomatic favors for billionaire associates, and offering favorable regulatory treatment to a major media mogul in return for positive coverage.
In the opening minutes of his testimony, Netanyahu dismissed allegations against him and his family, calling the indictment’s characterization of them as “hedonists” “absurd.” He claimed to work 17 to 18 hours a day, eat meals at his desk and rarely see his family. He cited pressures during the Obama administration and confrontations with world leaders, which he described as efforts to defend Israel’s national security.
The allegations regarding gifts were “doubly absurd,” Netanyahu said. He claimed not to like champagne and admitted to “sometimes sinning with a cigar,” but said his demanding job rarely allows him time to smoke.
Although police have interviewed Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, multiple times, Tuesday marked his first appearance on the witness stand.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and has rejected public calls for his resignation, including from families of hostages still held in Gaza. They accuse Israel’s longest-serving leader of prolonging the war for political survival.
Yoav Sapir, a former chief public defender and academic director of the Taubenschlag Institute of Criminal Law at Tel Aviv University, said the trial could further erode public trust in government, already shaken by the Oct. 7 security failures and deepening political polarization.
“That there is no legal barrier for an indicted prime minister to serve doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do,” Sapir said.
**How will the trial play out?**
In his testimony, Netanyahu described himself as the victim of a leftist conspiracy.
“I heard in the media that I want to avoid the trial. What idiocy,” he said in a televised address on Monday night. “For eight years I have been waiting to present the truth and finally explode the delusional, unfounded accusations, the brutal witch hunt.”
Although the trial falls under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem District Court, proceedings are being held in an underground room at a Tel Aviv courthouse approved by Netanyahu’s security team. Netanyahu and his allies have objected to his court appearances during ongoing wars, arguing they threaten national security.
Transport Minister Miri Regev, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, called it a “disgrace” that the prime minister was required to take the stand while the war in Gaza continued. She joined other coalition government politicians, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, at the hearing to support Netanyahu.
To enter the courthouse, they passed through Hostage Square, the main protest site against Netanyahu’s handling of hostage negotiations in Gaza.
Starting next week, Netanyahu will testify three days a week, six hours per day, for several weeks. Initially, he will answer open-ended questions from his attorneys and address the charges, which have been under investigation for years and involve testimony from hundreds of witnesses.
Prosecutors will then begin cross-examination. Observers predict Netanyahu may attempt to delay this phase as long as possible.
“We will see endless interruptions, which only back up the prime minister’s narrative that he is trying to run a war, and the judiciary is preventing it,” said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at Hebrew University.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch, another Netanyahu loyalist, said Sunday on X that he would request a three-month postponement of the trial “in light of the strategic change in our region” after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
**Could the trial affect Israeli policy in Gaza?**
The trial’s impact is expected to extend beyond the courtroom, coinciding with new negotiations over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.
Analysts suggest Netanyahu’s recent decision to revive talks - after months of resisting Washington’s pressure to negotiate with Hamas - may partly aim to deflect attention from his criminal proceedings.
Revelations in court could intensify public demands for fresh elections, which opinion polls indicate Netanyahu would likely lose.
“Netanyahu is attempting to remain the prime minister for all the remaining years of his trial, and to avoid at all costs going to an early election,” Talshir said.
While most Israelis support ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of roughly 100 hostages, Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to collapse the government if he withdraws troops or agrees to a ceasefire. As a result, Talshir believes negotiations will continue but a deal may remain elusive.
“Netanyahu needs positive media,” she said, “but he will most likely only agree to a deal that his far-right partners can stomach.”