Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi HotovelyHezki Baruch

Minister of Settlement Affairs Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) arrived at the opening of Prime Minister Netanyahu's corruption trial at the Jerusalem District Court today.

Hotovely said this was a "very difficult day for the Israeli court system which is prosecuting a prime minister on completely unheard of charges. [Former State Attorney] Shai Nitzan came out publically and said these were hereto unhead of offenses," she stated. "There has never been a case of a political leader being put on trial for [allegedly attempting to receive positive media coverage] in a democratic society. That's the scary part. It endangers the delicate relationship between politicians and members of the press. You're the ones who should be most concerned," she cautioned the media.

Hotovely continued, "This criticism needs to be heard. It's legitimate. We are not opposed to the court system [but] want to see a fair trial. Many of the things that have emerged in Netanyahu's trial [so far] are the opposite of impartial. So what we're saying is, it's dangerous to try a prime minister on unheard of charges using selective enforcement methods.''