By: Fern Sidman

In an extraordinary intervention that once again blurs the lines between foreign policy and domestic legal affairs, President Donald Trump on Saturday renewed his scathing condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial, calling it a “POLITICAL WITCH HUNT” that threatens to derail critical negotiations with both Iran and Hamas.

According to a post published on Trump’s Truth Social platform and reported by Israel National News (INN), the president accused Israeli prosecutors of orchestrating a politically motivated campaign to undermine Netanyahu just as he spearheads high-stakes diplomatic efforts and navigates Israel through one of the most dangerous geopolitical periods in its history.

“It is terrible what they are doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu. He is a War Hero, and a Prime Minister who did a fabulous job working with the United States to bring Great Success in getting rid of the dangerous Nuclear threat in Iran,” Trump declared. “Importantly, he is right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back.”

Trump, who has long viewed Netanyahu as a strategic ally and an ideological counterpart, cast the legal proceedings as a threat to global security. The Israel National News report emphasized the sharp tone of his remarks, quoting Trump’s claim that the trial—focused on allegations related to gifts such as cigars and items as trivial as a “Bugs Bunny Doll”—was not only baseless but also perilously timed.

“How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING?” Trump asked rhetorically. “This travesty of ‘Justice’ will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations. In other words, it is INSANITY doing what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu.”

The latest outburst comes just days after Trump’s earlier post demanding either an outright cancellation of the trial or the issuance of a pardon. In that statement, he drew explicit parallels between Netanyahu’s legal troubles and his own multiple indictments in the United States, portraying both as examples of a coordinated campaign by political adversaries to topple populist leaders.

Israel National News reported extensively on the reverberations of Trump’s remarks, noting that members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party and key figures in his right-wing coalition have echoed the call to halt the trial. Several lawmakers have argued that the proceedings amount to judicial interference in wartime leadership, and warned that it distracts Netanyahu from managing the fallout of Israel’s recent confrontation with Iran and the still-unresolved hostage situation in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem District Court rejected yet another request from Netanyahu’s legal team to delay testimony in the trial. As reported by Israel National News, the court dismissed the prime minister’s argument that his schedule made continued attendance impossible, ruling that his petition failed to present “detailed reasoning that could justify canceling evidentiary hearings.”

Presiding Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman issued a brief but firm statement explaining that the materials submitted — including a sealed envelope with details of Netanyahu’s upcoming engagements — lacked the specificity necessary to warrant a delay. “The schedule presented does not contain data, details, or exceptional matters that could justify canceling hearings,” the court ruled, setting the next hearing for 11:30 a.m. Monday.

According to the information provided in the Israel National News report, Netanyahu’s legal team is expected to file additional motions seeking limited reprieves, possibly on national security grounds, though observers say the court has shown little inclination to bend under political pressure.

The charges against Netanyahu date back to January 2020 and include bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases. Netanyahu has vigorously denied all accusations, describing them as an orchestrated effort by Israel’s judicial elite and media establishment to remove him from office.

Critics of Trump’s intervention have warned that such statements could further politicize an already divisive legal saga and undermine public confidence in Israel’s judiciary. However, among Netanyahu’s supporters — particularly those in religious Zionist and right-wing circles — Trump’s rhetoric has only galvanized calls for an end to the trial.

As Israel National News has reported in recent weeks, the trial has become a lightning rod in Israeli politics, with national security ministers, Knesset members, and even top rabbis warning that it threatens to fracture national unity at a time when existential threats from Iran and proxy groups demand unbroken focus from the country’s top leadership.

While the court proceedings are expected to continue into next week, political analysts cited by INN suggest that the confluence of U.S. support, regional war, and Netanyahu’s central role in post-conflict diplomacy may exert pressure on the Israeli legal system to find a face-saving resolution.

Whether that will result in a plea bargain, a presidential pardon, or continued litigation remains to be seen. What is certain, is that Netanyahu’s legal future — and by extension, Israel’s strategic trajectory — is now enmeshed with a renewed Trump-Netanyahu alliance aimed at reshaping the landscape of Middle Eastern diplomacy.