Netanyahu’s fate to be determined by COVID-19, not corruption trial

On the morning of Feb. 8, cameras followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for 20 minutes in Jerusalem District Court. He came for the opening deliberations for the evidence stage in his bribery trial.

Netanyahu arrived exactly on time, escorted by his lawyer and media adviser. When the opening of the session was delayed, Netanyahu could have chosen to wait in a side room. But instead, he chose to remain, visible to all.

Thus, everyone could see Israel’s prime minister confiding in his lawyers on live broadcast. Their faces were covered with masks, making it more difficult to decipher what they were saying or even their body language. Was Netanyahu nervous? Was he tense or anxious? Afterward he sat down on a chair opposite one of his lawyers, with his back to the camera. Near Netanyahu was an open window, from which the voices of the anti-Netanyahu demonstrators outside could be heard. Some were dressed as handcuffed prisoners, hinting at what they hope will be Netanyahu’s fate. They shouted, “Get lost!” to him.

Nothing in this picture was spontaneous. Netanyahu consciously chose to create a moment of pathos where a prime minister who had led a COVID-19 Cabinet meeting until late at night was forced to make an appearance in court like any Joe Blow. And — as Netanyahu hoped — his was the photo that starred in all the news reports, and appeared the next day on newspaper front pages, not only in Israel but around the world.