A new page in Israeli history opens Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the first sitting premier to face criminal charges, accused of a string of corruption allegations he denies.

Perhaps most serious of all is the claim that Netanyahu offered media mogul Shaul Elovitch regulatory changes worth millions of dollars to his telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for favourable reporting on the Walla!

After months of suspense and repeated police questioning of Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in January filed charges against the premier.

Yuval Shany, professor of law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argues that there is "a basic incompatibility" between Netanyahu's role as head of the government and his status as a criminal defendant.

At any time before the verdict Israeli law allows Netanyahu to change his plea in exchange for lesser or fewer charges.