Netanyahu Appears in Jerusalem Courtroom for Pretrial Hearing

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrived at the Jerusalem District Court for a pretrial hearing in the corruption cases against him.

The hearing on Monday is the second time that Netanyahu has appeared in the courtroom throughout the pretrial process, which began more than a year ago. He remained in the courtroom for 20 minutes and affirmed that the written response in his name denying the charges against him is indeed his.

During the session, the court is expected to set a schedule for witness testimony. The court could decide to postpone the hearings until after Israel’s March 23 elections.

Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases against him, which are being tried together.

Protesters against Netanyahu gathered outside of the courthouse. Netanyahu had called on his supporters to not come out on his behalf, citing the coronavirus crisis.