Israeli opposition rejects Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu corruption trial

Guardian:

Israeli opposition rejects Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu corruption trial

US president accused of interfering in judicial system after saying the charges against Israeli PM are a ‘witch hunt’

Jason Burke in Jerusalem

Thu 26 Jun 2025 21.25 AEST

Israeli opposition politicians have rejected Donald Trump’s call for the cancellation of the long-running corruption trial of his ally Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the US president of interfering in Israel’s judicial system.

The US president posted a lengthy diatribe against the trial, describing a “ridiculous witch hunt” that was an “unheard of … horror show” and showering praise on Netanyahu for his leadership of Israel during the short war with Iran that was ended by a ceasefire on Tuesday.


Yair Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid party, said Israel was grateful to Trump for support in the recent conflict, during which US planes dropped massive bombs on two Iranian nuclear facilities, but criticised “interference in the legal process” and suggested that Trump was offering support to Netanyahu before pressuring the Israeli leader to make concessions to reach a new ceasefire in the 20-month war in Gaza.


Gilad Kariv, a parliamentarian from the Democrats party, said: “The Jewish tradition teaches us that no person is above the law. Not even a prime minister.”

In his post on Truth Social, Trump described Netanyahu as a warrior like no other in the history of Israel.

“Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” Trump said on Wednesday night, using a nickname for the Israeli leader.


Trump, who has himself faced an array of criminal charges and convictions that he argued were politically motivated, said he had “just learned that Bibi has been summoned to court on Monday” and suggested a pardon for the “great hero”.

“It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu,” Trump said.

In December, Netanyahu became the first Israeli prime minister to take the stand as the defendant in a criminal trial for corruption. He assailed the charges against him as an “ocean of absurdity”.


Netanyahu was charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. The 75-year-old is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assisting him with personal and business interests, and of promoting advantageous regulation for media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of himself and his family.

If found guilty, Netanyahu could face prison but denies wrongdoing, saying the charges have been orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his lengthy rule.

Trump’s intervention was welcomed by Netanyahu loyalists such as Shlomo Karhi, the minister of communications, who is from Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party.

“Every word,” Karhi wrote on X, while Miki Zohar, the culture and sport minister, described the trial as “unimaginable injustice and personal persecution against” Netanyahu.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister, backed Trump’s call, saying the trial had been “concocted” by the “deep state”.

But Simcha Rothman, another far-right politician who is chair of Israel’s parliamentary law and justice committee, said that though he believed the trial was “an example of the accumulation of … flaws” with Israel’s judicial system, it was not the “role of the president of the United States to intervene in legal proceedings in the state of Israel”.

Netanyahu has been accused repeatedly by his critics of refusing to stop the war in Gaza to maintain his grip on power, which may be threatened by a peace deal opposed by far-right coalition allies.

His trial has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, with the prime minister requesting postponements due to the war in Gaza and later conflict in Lebanon. It was unclear when the next hearing would be scheduled for.

Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu, which began on 3 June in a Tel Aviv court, could take up to a year to complete.

Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, has the power to pardon Netanyahu but has been quoted by the media as saying a pardon was “not currently on the table”. He also said no such request had been made, according to the reports.

Polls in Israel have shown a boost for Netanyahu after the war with Iran, but one that is too small for the prime minister to be sure of winning elections due before late next year.