Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumed when the longtime leader faces growing discontent over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
The trial at the Jerusalem District Court resumed on Sunday after a two-month break. The court had ruled In May Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister on trial, would not have to be present during the process.
Netanyahu, 70, is accused of fraud, breach of trust and acceptance of bribes in a series of scandals in which he allegedly received generous gifts from billionaire friends and exchanged regulatory favors with media tycoons for more pleasant coverage. of him and his family.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, painting the allegations as a media-orchestrated witch hunt pursued by a biased law enforcement system.
Bribery charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, while fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
Anti-government anger in Israel has sparked protests in recent weeks that saw violent clashes with the police. [Getty Images]
Generalized anger
The corruption trial resumes when Netanyahu faces widespread anger at his government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.
While the country seemed to have stifled a first wave of infections, a hasty reopening caused infections to soar.
But Netanyahu and his emergency government, formed with the aim of dealing with the crisis, seemed to neglect the numbers and moved forward with other political priorities and their plans for reopening.
They have since stopped them and even re-imposed restrictions, including a weekend lockout that will begin later this week.
The Netanyahu government has come under fire for its response to the new wave, which has seen daily cases rise to nearly 2,000. He has been criticized for his handling of the economic consequences of the crisis.
The anger has sparked protests in recent weeks that have culminated in violent clashes with the police.
On Saturday, police used water cannons to disperse protesters around Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. In Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel, thousands gathered to demand better state aid from companies affected by the health crisis.
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