Israel: In his corruption trial, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court on Monday to face a crucial prosecution witness. Netanyahu, who was Prime Minister for 12 years until June, has pleaded not guilty to accusations of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud stemming from alleged regulatory favours he bestowed on media moguls in exchange for favourable press coverage and gifts such as cigars and champagne.

Under his black face mask, Netanyahu, now the opposition leader, smiled as he entered the Jerusalem District courtroom to hear the testimony of his former spokesman and close adviser Nir Hefetz, one of a small group of ex-aides who have turned state's witness against the country's first prime minister to be criminally charged while still in office. "Netanyahu spends at least as much time on media as he does on security," Hefetz told the court.

Netanyahu, 72, has made few court appearances and is not obligated to attend the trial proceedings. As a cluster of his followers yelled slogans outside in the street, a tiny number of anti-Netanyahu protestors entered the courtroom, he offered no reply to reporters. The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has polarised Israelis. His ardent followers bemoan it as a left-wing witch-hunt against a popular right-wing leader, while his harshest detractors praise it as the triumph of law against serious government corruption that had thrown Israel into political crisis for two years.

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