Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be cancelled
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Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be cancelled
Donald Trump has called on Israel’s prime minister to be pardoned. Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of accepting bribes in return for favours. The 75-year-old denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch-hunt. The trial has been delayed many times due to the war in Gaza and later conflict in Lebanon. It is unclear when the next hearing will be scheduled for. The US president has faced an array of criminal charges.
“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.
The US president, who himself has 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 also 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”.
He 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.
He denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch-hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his lengthy rule.
Netanyahu’s 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.
Trump says Israeli PM Netanyahu’s corruption trial should be cancelled
US President Donald Trump called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his trial on corruption charges. Mr Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which Mr Netanyahu denies. Israeli President Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Mr Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is ‘not currently on the table’ Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said Mr Trump should keep out of the matter. It was unclear if Mr Trump meant the US could do anything to aid Mr Netanyahu in his legal battle. The Republican president described the case against the Israeli leader as a “witch hunt”, a term Mr Trump has frequently applied to US attempts to prosecute him.
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on June 25 called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his trial on corruption charges, saying the US would save him like it did with his country.
Mr Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which Mr Netanyahu denies.
The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.
“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel),” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had learned that Mr Netanyahu was due to appear in court on June 30 .
Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Mr Netanyahu began on June 3 in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete.
Israeli President Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Mr Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is “not currently on the table”.
He also said that “no such request had been made”, according to the reports.
Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said Mr Trump should keep out of the matter.
“With all due respect and gratitude to the president of the United States, he’s not supposed to intervene in a legal process of an independent state,” Mr Lapid said.
“I hope and suppose that this is a reward he (Trump) is giving him (Netanyahu) because he is planning to pressure him on Gaza and force, to force him into a hostage deal that will end the war,” Mr Lapid told Israeli news website Ynet.
Mr Trump extolled Mr Netanyahu as a “warrior” but 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.”
That appeared to be a reference to US involvement and support for Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme. Mr Trump announced a ceasefire on June 23 .
It was unclear if Mr Trump meant the US could do anything to aid Mr Netanyahu in his legal battle.
The Republican president described the case against the Israeli leader as a “witch hunt”, a term Mr Trump has frequently applied to US attempts to prosecute him and the same term Mr Netanyahu has used to describe his own long-running trial.
The warm words contrasted with the rare rebuke he issued on June 24 over Israel’s post-ceasefire strikes on Iran.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel,” he told reporters.
Iran and Israel, he added, had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.” REUTERS
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