"I am here as your Prime Minister, with straight back and proud," he told those watching at home. "When the public is exposed to the whole truth, the cases will crumble."
Participants in the small district courtroom wore masks, even while speaking. As the three judges entered, Netanyahu remained standing. He sat only after a cameraman had been ushered out of the room, per an earlier agreement on court procedures.
In discussions about the timetable, defense lawyer Micha Fetman said he was new to the team and needed time to read all the material, which prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari Shweky said would take about three months.
Fetman requested all defendants -- Netanyahu, along with two businessmen and one of the businessmen's wives -- be excused from attending every court session, procedural hearings in particular, and the prosecution did not oppose the move.
Proceedings were adjourned until July 19, though it could be months before the prosecution opens.
Under Israeli law, Netanyahu does not have to resign because of the indictment. Instead, he has to resign only if he is convicted and that conviction is upheld through the appeals process.
In a tweet sent as the court session was coming to a close, Netanyahu's key coalition ally, Benny Gantz, wrote Netanyahu was innocent until proved guilty and expressed confidence the legal system would provide the Prime Minister with a fair trial.
Gantz, Israel's new alternate prime minister, previously had campaigned in three elections on a platform of never sitting in the same government as an indicted prime minster.
"I would like to reemphasize that my colleagues and I fully trust our legal system and law enforcement agencies. Now, perhaps more than ever, we must move toward unity and conciliation, as a country and as a society, for the State of Israel and all of its citizens," Gantz's tweeted Sunday.
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