Ain’t like in America…
Over there Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu WAS indicted and is now going on trial in a criminal case….
The trial, which was delayed two months by Israel’s coronavirusoutbreak, threatens to further divide the branches of Israel’s democracy, in a nation already deeply polarized after three elections in less than a year.
Minutes before the trial, a combative Netanyahu, broadcasting live on his social media platforms, called the cases against him “ludicrous” and said the investigations were “tainted from day one.”
He decried the process as a sinister attempt to remove him from office. He called for the trial, which could last for as long as two years, to be televised so that the nation could “witness the truth.”
Netanyahu was surrounded by his most senior ministers, who had turned out in a show of support, and in the streets outside the courtroom a large crowd chanted their admiration for “King Bibi.” Supporters vowed they would never stop fighting for him.
Israel has navigated high-profile corruption cases before. Most notably, former prime minister Ehud Olmert was convicted in 2014 of taking money from real estate developers when he was mayor of Jerusalem. But Olmert resigned as prime minister before being indicted, as have other top officials who faced accusations of wrongdoing.
Netanyahu’s refusal to step down puts the country in uncharted territory, with each of his actions as prime minister likely to be weighed in light of his trial….
image….Pool photo by Gali Tibbon