President Trump praises Israeli leaders as “warriors,” and says the US will “save Bibi Netanyahu” amid corrupt trials.
President Donald Trump has called on Israel to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial or to allow him to describe the lawsuit against Israeli leaders as a “witch hunt.”
Trump issued a phone call on Wednesday on behalf of his close Israeli allies, who were charged in Israel in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and trust violations.
“The trial of Bibi Netanyahu must immediately cancel the pardon given to a great hero who has done so much for the (Israel) state,” Trump wrote on his true social platform using the nickname of Israeli leaders.
“I can’t imagine such a witch hunt for a man who gave so much,” Trump added.
Netanyahu’s trial began in 2020 and includes three criminal cases. He denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu’s cross-examination began at the Tel Aviv court on June 3, and was expected to take about a year to complete.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has the power to forgive Netanyahu, but Israeli media quotes the pardon as saying “now is not at the table.”
Herzog also said “no such requests were made,” according to the report.
Trump also said in his post: “It was the United States that saved Israel, and now it will be the United States that save Vivi Netanyahu.”
It was unclear what Trump or the US government could do to stop Netanyahu’s corruption trial.
Trump’s support for Netanyahu contrasted with the rare public responsibilities issued to Israeli leaders on Tuesday over Israel’s strike after Israel’s intervention against Iran.
“Israel, as soon as we made a deal, they came out and they dropped a lot of bombs I’d never seen before. The biggest load we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel.”
Several Netanyahu’s allies welcomed Trump’s comments, but Israeli opposition leader Oia Rapid said the US president should not intervene in foreign legal issues.
“With respect for Trump, he should not interfere in the legal process of an independent country,” he told Ynet.
Rapid called Trump’s call “compensation” for Netanyahu.
Ariel Koelner, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, also rejected Trump’s call to cancel the corruption trial.
“In principle, I oppose foreign political interference in Israel’s internal affairs. Isn’t it time for our judicial system to look for some kind of soul?” Koelner said.
However, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gwil has approved Trump’s call to withdraw corruption charges against Netanyahu.
“Israel is certainly an independent and sovereign nation, but President Trump is absolutely right. Now is the time to abolish the absurd sentence that a deep nation created in an attempt to stage a coup against democracy,” he said in a post in X.
