United States President Donald Trump has called for Israel to cancel the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or grant him a pardon, describing the case against the Israeli leader as a “witch-hunt”.
Trump issued the call on Wednesday on behalf of his close Israeli ally, who was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
"Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be cancelled, immediately, or a pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State," he wrote on his Truth Social network. He recalled that Netanyahu was "summoned to court on Monday for the continuation of this long running <…> politically motivated case."
"Such a witch hunt, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me. He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel," he emphasized.
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Netanyahu’s trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
ReplyDeleteIsraeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu began on June 3 in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete.
ReplyDeleteIsraeli President Isaac Herzog has the power to pardon Netanyahu, but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is “not currently on the table”.
ReplyDeleteTrump also said in his post: “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.”
ReplyDeleteOn November 21, 2019, Israel’s attorney general said that he had decided to charge Netanyahu with bribe-taking, fraud and public trust abuse in three cases. The charges were referred to the District Court of Jerusalem on January 28, 2020. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied all the charges against him.
ReplyDeleteTrump’s words of support for Netanyahu contrasted with the rare public rebuke he issued against the Israeli leader on Tuesday over Israel’s post-ceasefire strikes on Iran.
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