Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take the stand as a criminal defendant on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption.
It is the first time an Israeli prime minister will take the stand as a criminal defendant, an embarrassing milestone for a leader who has tried to cultivate an image as a respected statesman.
The trial is expected to be a weekslong spectacle that will draw unwelcome attention to his legal woes as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues.
Netanyahu will answer during his court appearances to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.
He is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars' worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assisting him with personal and business interests.
He is also accused of promoting advantageous regulation 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.
'Eight years I've waited for this day. Eight years I have waited to present the truth. Eight years I am waiting to knock down once and for all these deluded and absurd charges against me,' Netanyahu said defiantly on the eve of his testimony.
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