Israel PM Netanyahu due in court as coalition talks ramp up

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due in court on Monday for his corruption trial -- for the prosecution's opening arguments in the case where he is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu has denied all these allegations.

While lead prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari will be laying out the criminal case against Israel's longest-serving leader, across the city President Reuven Rivlin will hold discussions that could determine Netanyahu's political fate.

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In the recently held polls, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party finished first, winning 30 seats in the 120-member parliament, but his ability to form a stable governing coalition is precarious, a reality that has plagued him for several years.

Rivlin on Monday begins two days of consultations with party officials to determine who has a plausible path towards a 61-seat majority, in a parliament bitterly divided between those who back Netanyahu and those committed to ending his 12-year tenure. He will give a 28-day window to form a government to the leader with most recommendations from individual lawmakers.

Netanyahu is expected to get support from his 30 Likud loyalists, 16 lawmakers representing Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, and six votes from the far-right Religious Zionism alliance. That makes a likely total of 52, nine short of the absolute majority needed.

In an unprecedented twist for Israeli coalition politics, it appears impossible for either camp to form a government without support from the conservative Islamic Raam Party, headed by Mansour Abbas, who controls four seats.

Abbas has said he is open to hearing from all sides, but the far-right Religious Zionism party has ruled out sitting in a government with Raam, complicating Netanyahu's coalition hopes.

It is also far from certain that the anti-Netanyahu bloc can coalesce, raising the prospect of a fifth election in less than three years.

The trial enters a more intensive, evidentiary phase on Monday but a ruling is still several months off.

Judges have said Netanyahu can leave the courtroom after the opening arguments, when the witness testimony begins. No quick resolution is expected.

Netanyahu would not be compelled to resign as prime minister unless he is convicted with all appeals exhausted. That could take several years.

Netanyahu was formally charged last year with accepting improper gifts, and seeking to trade regulatory favours with media moguls in exchange for positive coverage.

Anti-Netanyahu protesters, who dub him the "Crime Minister", surrounded the court ahead of his last appearance in February, and are expected to do so again on Monday.

(with inputs from AFP)