Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Israel to either drop the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or grant him a presidential pardon, saying the United States should intervene on his behalf just as it has historically supported the Israeli state.
Netanyahu, who has been on trial since 2020, faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust stemming from three separate cases. He has consistently denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty. Trump made his remarks Wednesday on his social media platform, Truth Social, claiming Netanyahu's court appearances should be “cancelled immediately” or a pardon issued, praising the Israeli leader as a “great hero.”
Trump stated he recently learned Netanyahu was due in court again on Monday. Israeli media reports indicate that the prime minister’s cross-examination began on June 3 in Tel Aviv and could stretch out for nearly a year.
While Israeli President Isaac Herzog holds the authority to issue a pardon, local news outlets report that Herzog has said no such request has been received and that the matter is not currently being considered.
Trump hailed Netanyahu as a “warrior” and asserted that just as the United States “saved Israel,” it should now step in to “save Bibi Netanyahu,” appearing to reference U.S. support for Israeli military action against Iran’s nuclear program. However, it remains unclear what, if any, direct role the U.S. could play in Netanyahu’s legal proceedings.
The remarks come shortly after Trump criticized Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran following a ceasefire agreement, expressing disapproval over the scale of the strikes. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said, “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs... I'm not happy with Israel.”
He added that both Iran and Israel have been entangled in conflict for so long that “they don't know what the fuck they're doing.”
Trump has repeatedly framed legal actions against himself as politically motivated “witch hunts,” a phrase he also applied to Netanyahu’s prosecution.
