US envoy: Trump respects Israel’s sovereignty, but is against PM’s prosecution

The ongoing trial against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is very similar to the judicial difficulties faced by US President Donald Trump, according to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Asked about his decision to attend a hearing last July during an interview with Channel 12, Huckabee says that while the US does not intend to interfere with the court, it does take a position about the trial.

“Americans are as blunt as Israelis when it comes to expressing ourselves,” the ambassador says. “Yeah, I think we were taking a position, but it was not a position in challenging the integrity of the Supreme Court, but it was recognizing that what was happening sure mirrored a whole lot of what we saw in the United States going against President Trump.”

Huckabee tells Channel 12 the embassy has not been in contact with President Isaac Herzog about whether he should grant a pardon to Netanyahu, and assures that Trump respects Israel as a sovereign nation with its own judicial system.

Asked whether Trump will try to openly support Netanyahu in the upcoming election that is set to take place in October 2026 at the latest, the ambassador says it won’t happen.

“I don’t think the President is going to get involved in the elections,” he noted.

At the same time, Huckabee says that Trump might visit Israel in May, when he will be awarded the prestigious Israel Prize.