U.S. President Donald Trump has twice demanded that Israel cancel or pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption case, calling it a “witch hunt” and warning that Washington— which he said spends “billions of dollars a year” defending Israel— will not “stand for” the prosecution. In a Truth Social post on 25 June, Trump urged that the long-running trial be scrapped, and on 28 June he escalated the pressure, hinting that U.S. military aid could be suspended unless the proceedings end.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and has pleaded not guilty. The trial, which began in May 2020, was set to resume this week with the prime minister’s cross-examination. On 27 June the Jerusalem District Court rejected his request for a postponement, saying security concerns were insufficient grounds to halt the testimony.
Two days later, after renewed filings from Netanyahu’s lawyers and affidavits from the heads of military intelligence and Mossad—and amid Trump’s mounting public criticism—the same court reversed course, cancelling hearings scheduled for the week of 30 June. Judges cited the need for the premier to focus on “political, national and security issues” following a cease-fire with Iran and continuing Gaza negotiations.
Israeli opposition leaders condemned Trump’s remarks as interference in an independent judiciary, while Netanyahu thanked the U.S. president for his support. The episode marks an unusual direct intervention by a U.S. president in an allied nation’s legal process and injects new tension into U.S.–Israeli relations as the corruption case, already delayed multiple times, remains unresolved.
The Israeli prosecution approves a request by Prime Minister Netanyahu to postpone next week’s hearings in his corruption trial due to his planned visit to Washington to meet Trump
The testimonies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his criminal trial hearings have been cancelled for next week due to his diplomatic visit to the United States.
