Israeli PM Netanyahu to take witness stand on Dec 10 in his corruption trial

Israeli PM Netanyahu to take witness stand on Dec 10 in his corruption trial
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will be taking the witness stand on Tuesday (Dec. 10) for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a report by the news agency Associated Press on Monday said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is on trial for accusations of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three separate affairs. He has denied wrongdoing.This will be the first time that an Israeli PM has taken the stand as a criminal defendant.
What to know about the corruption trial against Benjamin Netanyahu?
- > The corruption trial against Benjamin Netanyahu began in 2020.
- > The trial involves three separate cases in which prosecutors said that Netanyahu exchanged regulatory favours with media titans for favourable press coverage and advanced the personal interests of a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for lavish gifts.
- > The Associated Press report said that prosecutorshave called roughly 140 witnesses to the stand – fewer than the 300 initially expected to testify.Israeli PM
- > The witnesses include some of Netanyahu’s closest former confidants who turned against him.
- > Lawyers have submitted thousands of items of evidence — recordings, police documents, text messages.
- > Like other witnesses, Netanyahu will testify three days a week, for hours at a time, and his testimony is expected to last weeks.
The timing
The timing of Netanyahu’s trial comes as the prime minister waged a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October last year and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges.Israeli PM
The Associated Press report said that the corruption trial will take up a chunk of Netanyahu’s time at a crucial point for Israel.
A verdict in the case isn’t expected until 2026-at least-and then Netanyahu can choose to appeal to the Supreme Court.Israeli PMChina Woman Stays Calm Without Phone For 8 Hours In Unique Contest, Wins $1,400