By Staff, Agencies

The Occupied al-Quds District Court ruled Wednesday that Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be present at the opening session of his trial, set to begin on Sunday.

While the law of the Zionist entity requires a defendant to show up at their first hearing, Netanyahu, who is facing indictments in three cases -- all of which he denies, -- and his team requested a waiver.

Netanyahu said that his presence would run against Health Ministry recommendations aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus in the occupation entity as he travels with a large security detail.

He also argued that the hearing was technical in nature, and his attendance was thus of little necessity.

The prosecution rejected the idea, arguing that the opening hearing, where the defendant must personally plead guilty or innocent, is more than a mere technicality and is necessary for public faith in due process.

Netanyahu was indicted in three graft cases on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in late January -- a first in the occupation entity’s history for a serving prime minister.

He decided not to ask lawmakers for immunity from prosecution and instead stand before the court.

The three cases that Netanyahu has been indicted in include Case 1000, centered around valuable gifts Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, received; Case 2000, involving Netanyahu's efforts to get more favorable coverage from a newspaper and Case 4000, linked with a telecom giant that owns another major newspaper.