In a televised statement, the Israeli leader told the Jerusalem District Court that the objective of the trial was to “depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country for many years.”

Netanyahu also accused prosecutors of conspiring to “tailor” a case against him, and claimed that the evidence that led to his indictment was “contaminated.”

He called for the trial to be broadcast live to ensure transparency.

The 70-year-old faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and has been indicted in three separate cases. In two of those cases, he is accused of granting favors to media executives in exchange for flattering news coverage of him and his family. The third case alleges that he received bribes from powerful businessmen.

Hundreds of demonstrators assembled outside Netanyahu’s residence ahead of the court hearing, shouting slogans such as “crime minister,” and a group of his supporters held a rally outside the courthouse.

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