Netanyahu thanks Trump for ‘tremendous support’ after president demands halt to his trial
Trump ‘should not interfere in a legal process in an independent country,’ declares Opposition Leader Lapid, but government ministers enthusiastically endorse US president’s call
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump for his “tremendous support for Israel and the Jewish people” on Thursday, after the US president demanded the cancellation of the premier’s ongoing criminal trial in an overnight post on his Truth Social platform.
“We will continue to work together to defeat our common enemies, free our hostages, and quickly expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu posted on X together with a Hebrew translation, and later an English retweet, of Trump’s post.
In his post, Trump professed to be shocked that Israel was “continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister,” arguing that his trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”
Netanyahu is on trial in three corruption cases, facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing and says all the charges were fabricated in a political coup led by the police and state prosecution.
Thank you @realDonaldTrump. I was deeply moved by your heartfelt support for me and your incredible support for Israel and the Jewish people.
I look forward to continue working with you to defeat our common enemies, liberate our hostages and quickly expand the circle of peace. https://t.co/zRd6LYfMbY pic.twitter.com/YCGN1dIu0d
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 26, 2025
Later on Thursday, Netanyahu requested a two-week hiatus in his trial testimony, with defense attorney Amit Hadad stating that the prime minister must devote his time to “diplomatic, national and security issues of the first order,” in the wake of the recent war with Iran, which ended Tuesday.
Those issues include “managing the war in Gaza and dealing with the issue of the hostages,” Hadad wrote to the Jerusalem District Court, where Netanyahu is being tried.
Hadad said the defense team will “make an effort” to have other defense witnesses testify twice a week if the request is granted.
The court ordered the State Attorney’s Office to respond to the request by 10 a.m. Friday, after which it will make a decision.
While Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called on Trump to respect Israeli sovereignty and not get involved with an internal “legal process,” members of Netanyahu’s cabinet enthusiastically welcomed Trump’s demand to completely halt the trial, dismissing the charges against the premier as political persecution of a leader they argue has saved the country from destruction.
“President Trump is right – it’s time to cancel the trial,” tweeted Culture Minister Miki Zohar, arguing that the cases against the premier “are collapsing anyway.”
הנשיא טראמפ צודק – הגיע הזמן לבטל את המשפט!
נשיא המעצמה הגדולה בעולם, וחבר אמת של העם היהודי, דונלד טראמפ, מבטא בקול את מה שרבים מאזרחי ישראל חשים בליבם – דווקא ובמיוחד בעיצומם של ימים היסטוריים בתולדות המדינה.
מורשתו של ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו תיחקק בדברי הימים כמי שהציל את… pic.twitter.com/VlNn3qiHHv
— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) June 26, 2025
According to Zohar, who posted an AI-generated image of Trump and Netanyahu standing shoulder to shoulder with a roaring lion behind them, “the president of the world’s greatest superpower, and a true friend of the Jewish people, Donald Trump, is voicing what many Israeli citizens feel in their hearts.
“Especially in these days, when we all need to focus on the return of the hostages and the defeat of our enemies, it is time to put an end to the inconceivable injustice and personal persecution against him – and to cancel the baseless trial immediately,” he wrote.
Economy Minister Nir Barkat agreed, posting on X that “while the prime minister is leading a war on seven fronts, reshaping the Middle East, and restoring Israeli deterrence, the trial against him must stop immediately.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that “Israel is indeed an independent and sovereign state, but President Trump is absolutely right — it’s time to cancel the absurd trial that the deep state concocted in an attempt to stage a coup against democracy. An urgent reform of the judicial system is a must.”
“For all that I would love to see Netanyahu continue to crush the political prosecution in the trial, this show has long since cost us the security of the state,” weighed in Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.
‘Contrary to the basic sense of justice’
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also backed Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s trial, calling the legal process 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 wrote in a lengthy post on X in which he complained 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 reevaluated, Sa’ar complained 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 asked, recalling that when he was in the opposition, he had called to end the trial via a plea bargain — although he says that things have changed since October 7.
“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,” Sa’ar asserted.
“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.”
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,” Sa’ar asked.
Sanctioning the AG
Firebrand Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv appealed to Trump to impose sanctions on Baharav-Miara and Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, arguing that they were “acting out of malicious and political motives… to weaken the strength of Prime Minister Netanyahu.”
The two legal officials “are severely undermining the ability of the government led by Netanyahu to govern and lead Israel to defeat its enemies,” she charged.
An inappropriate intervention
Taking a slightly different tack, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) insisted that Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial was inappropriate even if he is correct.
“The Israeli judicial system has many flaws, and the Netanyahu trial is perhaps an example of the accumulation of many such flaws… [and] at the core of the matter, it is clear that Trump is right” but “it is not the role of the president of the United States to intervene in legal proceedings in the State of Israel,” he said, adding that “the independence of the State of Israel and the independence of its judicial system are values important to us all, including Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Instead, President Isaac Herzog, who holds pardon power, should step in to “stop this foolish saga,” said Rothman.
“If he does not do so, the Knesset can and should do it,” Rothman asserted, appealing to Herzog to “give this country justice already.”
While the Knesset does not have the authority to cancel the prime minister’s trial, pro-Netanyahu lawmakers have threatened to legislate the removal of the crime of fraud and breach of trust from the criminal code. In the highly unlikely event that the Knesset were to do so — and assuming such legislation would apply retroactively to ongoing cases — Netanyahu would only be left facing the charge of bribery in Case 4000.
Trump’s ‘compensation’ to Netanyahu
Speaking with the Ynet news site, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid asserted that while Israelis appreciate US President Donald Trump, he should not involve himself in internal Israeli judicial issues.
“We are grateful to President Trump but as [MK] Simcha Rothman said – the president should not interfere in a legal process in an independent country,” Lapid stated. He added that he assumes weighing in on Netanyahu’s legal problems is a form of “compensation” from Trump to Netanyahu, “because he is going to bend [Netanyahu] on the Gaza issue, to end the war.”
In response, Rothman called on Lapid to join him in signing a letter to Herzog “demanding the cessation of Netanyahu’s trial,” stating that if Herzog does not intervene then “let’s submit such a bill.”
Neither National Unity chairman Benny Gantz, The Democrats chief Yair Golan nor Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman responded to Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial.
The Times of Israel Community.