Israel's legal and political dramas converged on Monday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced court in his corruption trial while his bid to form a government after another inconclusive election reached a critical phase.
The 71-year-old veteran premier - who last month contested his fourth election in less than two years - arrived at the Jerusalem courthouse where he was met by supporters but also opponents who called him Israel's "crime minister".
Israel's first premier to be indicted in office was ordered to appear in person at Jerusalem's District Court for opening arguments in a case where he is charged with bribery, fraud of breach of trust.
As court proceedings got underway, President Reuven Rivlin began two days of talks to determine which party leader has the best chance of forming a stable government following the 23 March election.
Israel remains mired in the worst political crisis in its 73-year history, with voters and the 120-member parliament bitterly split over whether Mr Netanyahu deserves to extend his record tenure of 12 consecutive years.
Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party finished first in the polls almost two weeks ago, winning 30 seats, but his path to a 61-seat absolute majority is precarious.
The anti-Netanyahu camp, however, lacks a clear leader, is ideologically divided and will also struggle to forge a majority coalition.
'Serious corruption'
Mr Netanyahu, wearing a black face mask and a dark suit, sat in court as lead prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari told judges that the premier was involved in "a serious case of government corruption".
He has been charged with accepting improper gifts and seeking to trade regulatory favours with media moguls in exchange for positive coverage - allegations that he denies.
He "made illegitimate use of the great governmental power entrusted to him," in his dealings with media executives "in order to advance his personal affairs - including when he faced his desire to be re-elected", Ms Ben-Ari said.
With permission from judges, Mr Netanyahu left the courtroom before the prosecution called its first witness, the former chief executive of the Walla news site, Ilan Yeshua.
Mr Yeshua testified that he had regularly received instructions from Mr Netanyahu's allies to post articles favourable to the prime minister and information that smeared the premier's rivals.
"It was clear that we were a website that did what the prime minister's office asked us," Mr Yeshua told the court.
A group of anti-Netenyahu demonstrators stage a protest near the Jerusalem District Court ahead of the hearing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Source: Anadolu
According to Mr Yeshua's testimony, a key target of Mr Netanyahu's alleged smear campaign was Naftali Bennett, the prime minister's estranged former protege who now leads the religious nationalist Yamina party.
That fact now spells a political problem for Mr Netanyahu, who will likely need Mr Bennett's support in order to form a government.
Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gather outside the district court in Jerusalem on 5 April 2021 ahead of Prime Minister's corruption trial. Source: AFP
Presidential meetings
Meanwhile Mr Rivlin, whose presidential residence was also the site of an anti-Netanyahu protest, was meeting with party officials throughout the day.
According to custom, he will give the leader with the most recommendations from individual lawmakers a 28-day window to form a government. That can be extended by 14 days at the president's discretion.
The recommendations were proceeding as expected, with Likud and the two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which control 16 seats, endorsing a Netanyahu-led government.
The election's second place finisher, the centrist Yesh Atid party, used its 17 votes to endorse leader Yair Lapid, a former television host.
Mr Lapid also gained the eight seats controlled by Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who was Mr Netanyahu's main rival in the three previous elections.
Mr Gantz's decision to join a short-lived coalition under Mr Netanyahu caused his political support to collapse.
While Mr Lapid's final recommendation tally remains uncertain, an anti-Netanyahu alliance would require a tightrope deal among him, Mr Gantz, Likud defector Gideon Saar, Mr Bennett, and a group of left-wing parties.
Yamina has endorsed Mr Bennett for prime minister, in another expected development.
But his position could evolve after President Rivlin assigns a mandate.
In an unprecedented twist for Israeli coalition politics, it appears impossible for either camp to form a government without support from the conservative Islamic Raam Party, which controls four seats.
Its leader Mansour Abbas has said he is open to hearing from all sides, but the far-right Religious Zionism party has ruled out sitting in a government with Raam, further complicating Mr Netanyahu's coalition hopes.
If both the prime minister and the anti-Netanyahu camp fail to form a coalition, Israel could soon face a fifth election.
With Reuters
