Netanyahu Says 333 Witnesses Won’t Help

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu derided the massive lineup of witnesses being arrayed against him in three corruption cases, saying that so many witnesses reveal the weakness, not the strength, of the charges against him.

Referring to the 333 witnesses named by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the charge sheet delivered to the Knesset earlier Monday, Netanyahu contended that “When there’s a real case, you don’t need 333 witnesses, and when there’s no real case, even 333 witnesses won’t help.”

Whether it bolsters the prosecution’s case or not, the long witness list will virtually guarantee a long trial. Legal experts said it meant proceedings could go on for years, according to Reuters.

Among the witnesses who will be called to testify in the trial are MK Yair Lapid, Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, former government minister Tzippy Livni, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Ron Lauder, former Netanyahu aide David Shimron, and Netanyahu’s uncle, Natan Milikovsky.