From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 29, 2025
After Trump intervenes again, critics accuse Netanyahu of trading Gaza deal for end of trial
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition politicians accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of selling out Israel’s national security for his own personal interests, after US President Donald Trump demanded for the second time the cancellation of the premier’s ongoing criminal trial.
Democrats MK Naama Lazimi argues that by “trading his indictment in exchange for a political settlement and an end to the war,” Netanyahu demonstrated his unfitness for office, alleging that he is “conditioning the future of Israel and our children on his trial.”
“Those behind President Trump’s tweet are Netanyahu and his corrupt gang,” agrees fellow Democrats lawmaker Gilad Kariv, condemning Netanyahu and his circle’s “willingness to ‘play’ with the national security of the State of Israel and the issue of the hostages in order to save Netanyahu from conviction in court.”
Netanyahu is “acting against the Israeli public interest” by linking his legal troubles with the issue of the hostages and regional normalization agreements, tweets Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar, charging that Trump’s post had conditioned US aid on the prime minister’s trial.
In a late night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the United States was “not going to stand” for the continued prosecution of Netanyahu, whom he described as a “war hero” targeted by “out-of-control prosecutors.”
Trump argued that “this travesty of ‘justice’ will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations.”
“The United States of America spends billions of dollar(s) a year, far more than on any other nation, protecting and supporting Israel,” noted Trump in what some in Israel took as an implicit threat.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” he added in a second post on Saturday night.
In a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday evening, Trump professed to be shocked that Israel was “continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister,” declaring that his trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”
The Times of Israel Community.