By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand again on Monday in his ongoing trial for alleged corruption.
Netanyahu entered the courtroom in Tel Aviv as one woman attending the session asked, “Don’t you think it is time to get all the hostages out?”Her comments come after three Israeli hostages, who were released on Saturday, appeared gaunt and frail.
Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant.
He is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assistance with personal and business interests.
He is also accused of promoting advantageous regulations for media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of himself and his family.
Netanyahu, 75, denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his lengthy rule.
His testimony caps years of scandals that have swirled around him and his family, who have gained a reputation as enjoying a lavish lifestyle at taxpayers’ expense.
The testimony is another low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza.
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