JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended himself in court today. He's facing corruption charges for allegedly trading favors with media moguls, and his trial has dragged on for more than four years. NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from the Tel Aviv courthouse.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: At the gates of the courthouse, demonstrators chant, bribery, fraud, charges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces. One of the prime minister's supporters shouts back, he's innocent.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
ESTRIN: Inside the courthouse, Netanyahu supporter Iris Anavim says she's impressed watching the prime minister testify on a big screen.
IRIS ANAVIM: (Speaking Hebrew).
ESTRIN: She says, "his performance is not one of a defendant. He's very, very relaxed. There's nothing that gives him up as being guilty of something." On his first day of testimony, Netanyahu was confident. Israel's military is bombing Syrian military assets, and he said the turmoil in Syria means his aides would need to interrupt the trial to pass him notes. He said he works round the clock to defend Israel, and he dismissed the allegation that he helped a Hollywood producer with his business interests in exchange for a regular supply of expensive cigars.
(CROSSTALK)
ESTRIN: Yael Freidson covers the trial for the Israeli paper Haaretz.
YAEL FREIDSON: His lawyer asked him about, like, his luxury life, OK? And he says, I worked so hard. You know, I enjoy a cigar from time to time. There's nothing wrong with that. There's, like, a huge gap between how he shows himself as the victim that is sacrificing himself for the sake of Israel and what the judges were hearing from the witnesses during the whole trial.
ESTRIN: Netanyahu is also accused of making deals to secure positive press coverage. Netanyahu will be in court three days a week for the next several weeks, testifying in a fortified, underground courtroom amid war. Daniel Estrin, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
