Trump says ‘not going to stand’ for Netanyahu’s corruption trial
Trump says ‘not going to stand’ for Netanyahu’s corruption trial
M.U.H
29/06/202527
US President Donald Trump says Washington is “not going to stand” for the long-standing prosecution of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a host of corruption charges.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, also implicitly warned that the $3.8 billion in annual US military assistance to the Tel Aviv regime may be compromised unless the charges leveled against the 75-year-old chairman of the right-wing Likud political party are dismissed.
“The United States of America spends Billions of dollars a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,” the US president posted.
Trump went on to describe the case against Netanyahu as a “witch hunt,” drawing parallels between the Israeli premier’s legal troubles and his own before he took office for his second term.
“How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING (Cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.). It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure,” he commented.
In May 2024, Trump was found guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments made to an adult film actress.
He was also involved in two federal cases, one linked to his alleged endeavors to change the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
The Israeli prime minister faces multiple charges including fraud, breach of trust, accepting bribes, and exchanging favors with wealthy associates.
Netanyahu’s trial revolves around three separate scandals involving powerful media moguls and rich connections.
The Israeli leader, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor for his war crimes in Gaza, where more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, denies any wrongdoing.
On Friday, an Israeli court denied Netanyahu’s appeal to delay his testimony in the corruption trial, determining that he failed to offer sufficient justification for his request.
His attorney requested that the court grant the leader an exemption from hearings for the upcoming two weeks, asserting that he must focus on “security matters.”
His predecessor Naftali Bennett told a televised interview aired Saturday that Netanyahu must leave office.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 12, former prime minister Bennett said Netanyahu "has been in power for 20 years... that's too much, it's not healthy".
"He bears... heavy responsibility for the divisions in Israeli society," Bennett said of growing rifts within Israel under Netanyahu.
Netanyahu "must go", said the former prime minister, a right-wing leader who in 2021 joined forces with Netanyahu critics to form a coalition that ousted him from the premiership after 12 consecutive years at the helm.
Bennett said the "the political management" of Israel under Netanyahu is "a catastrophe, a disaster".
