Netanyahu, on trial for corruption, pleads not guilty

(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty in his ongoing trial for corruption charges, then left the courtroom while the hearing was still underway.

Later on Monday he dismissed the charges, as he has in the past, as “fabricated.”

Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, bribery and breach of trust — the first time a sitting prime minister has stood trial in Israeli history. The investigations of allegedly illicit payments and favors stretch back years.

Netanyahu was officially indicted about a year ago, and his trial began in May in Jerusalem District Court. Successive dela...