With bombast, protests for and against, and a media frenzy, a sitting prime minister has gone on trial for the first time in the history of Israel.

Just days after signing an agreement sealing his position as prime minister for the next year and a half, Benjamin Netanyahu went on trial for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust charges after a four-year investigation.

“For more than a decade the left has failed to do this at the ballot box,” Netanyahu said. “In recent years they have found a new trick — police and prosecutors have joined the ‘Anyone but Bibi’ gang to drum up these delusional and fabricated cases, this delusional trial. They aim to bring down a strong prime minister from the right and to keep the right away from power for many years.”

The trial started Sunday with a circus-like atmosphere both outside the courtroom and within. Months leading up to the moment, Netanyahu tried every angle he could to delay the trial or pass legislation that a sitting prime minister has immunity against charges, while his opponents tried to pass a law that someone who has been indicted cannot be prime minister.