Sa’ar: Netanyahu’s trial long ago lost any value, can anyone say Trump is wrong?

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar backs Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial, calling it a farce.

“While the prosecution labored on preparing the cross-examination of the prime minister, Netanyahu was focused on discussions and preparations for Israel’s historic campaign against Iran,” Sa’ar writes in a lengthy post on X in which he complains that Netanyahu was forced to divide his attention between military planning and the need to “appear daily to give his testimony in a ‘trial’ that long ago lost any value.”

Noting that the judges in Netanyahu’s trial told prosecutors in the case that the bribery charge against the premier will be difficult to prove and should be reevalujated, Sa’ar complains that the remaining charges of fraud and breach of trust “should have been erased from the law books long ago.”

“What is the value in continuing to conduct Netanyahu’s trial? How many more years will it take to conclude,” he asks, recalling that when he was in the opposition, he had called to end the trial via a plea bargain.

That, he says, “was before the harsh and greatest war in Israel’s history broke out on October 7, 2023,” he continues. “The prime minister, who is managing this historic campaign around the clock with dedication, is forced to continue his trial in parallel and, recently, his testimony as well.

“Everyone understands that this is an unreasonable distortion that is contrary to the basic sense of justice,” he declares.

“The public prosecutor’s office and its head have a plethora of legal options to end this farce. For example, they could have long ago used the authority provided by law to stay the proceedings. That hasn’t happened either,” Sa’ar says.

As justice minister in 2022, Sa’ar recommended the appointment of current Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who opposes a plea deal in the Netanyahu case. His initial list of candidates included then-deputy attorney general Raz Nizri, who supported a plea deal in the Netanyahu case. But Sa’ar did not ultimately back his candidacy.

“Since the prosecution refuses to consider any of the options available to it to end this saga, it’s no wonder that the call for a pardon is gaining traction. So when the president of the United States calls for the trial to be canceled or for a pardon, is there anyone who can say he is wrong?”