Israel's Netanyahu instructed to appear in court to answer corruption charges

JERUSALEM - Jerusalem District Court on Sunday instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appear in court on December 6 to answer corruption charges.

The court said Netanyahu's presence is required in the session in order to answer to the charges against him, which include bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.

Three other defendants in the same cases were also instructed to appear in the session.

Netanyahu, the first prime minister in Israel's history to stand to trial while in office, denies the allegations, charging they are part of "a witch hunt."

The embattled leader is also facing growing public anger over his government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing economic crisis.

On Sunday, Israel's police said that more than a dozen had been arrested in protests against Netanyahu across the country on Saturday night. Local media reported that "thousands" protested outside the official prime minister's residence in Jerusalem and in major crossroads throughout Israel.