"Ridiculous witch hunt": Trump jumps into the breach for Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing trial again on various corruption charges. US President Trump calls this absurd. "I'm shocked," he ranted, demanding impunity for the "great hero."

US President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the Israeli judiciary for the corruption trial against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I am shocked that the State of Israel, which just experienced one of its greatest moments in history and is led by Bibi Netanyahu, continues the ridiculous witch hunt against its Prime Minister," Trump wrote on his messaging platform Truth Social.

He said he fought alongside Netanyahu against Iran and its nuclear program and went through hell with him. Now he learned that the Israeli leader had been summoned to a court appearance on Monday, Trump continued. Netanyahu's trial should be "stopped immediately or a great hero be pardoned," Trump demanded.

In Netanyahu's five-year-old corruption trial, the Israeli prime minister testified for the first time under cross-examination at the beginning of this month. Due to the war against Iran and the security risks, the courts, operating with skeleton staff, have recently been hearing only particularly urgent cases. According to the Times of Israel, the cross-examination is expected to resume soon.

Trump demanded that the proceedings against Netanyahu be dropped immediately. "It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it will be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu," the US president wrote in his Truth Social post.

Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery. Among other things, he is accused of granting favors to the telecom giant Bezeq as Minister of Communications. He is also alleged to have accepted luxury gifts from billionaire friends. The prime minister is also alleged to have influenced the reporting of "Yediot Ahronot," Israel's largest newspaper.

Netanyahu has consistently denied the allegations, calling them a "witch hunt." This is the first time a sitting prime minister has been put on trial in Israel. The trial could last for years.