Trump Asks Israeli Authorities to Stop Netanyahu's Corruption Trial

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump urged Israel to cancel the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump requested that Israel grant a pardon because Netanyahu is a hero.

Trump made the call on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Netanyahu was indicted in Israel in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Trump referred to the case against the Israeli leader as a "witch hunt."

Netanyahu's trial, involving three criminal cases, began in 2020. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

"Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel)," Trump said on his platform, Truth Social, quoted from Al Jazeera.

Trump added that Netanyahu was set to appear in court the following week. "Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me," Trump wrote.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu's cross-examination began on June 3 in the Tel Aviv court and is estimated to take about a year to complete.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has the authority to pardon Netanyahu, but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon "is not currently on the table." Herzog also stated that "no such request had been made."

Trump also stated in his post that "It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu."

It is unclear what Trump or the U.S. government can do to stop Netanyahu's corruption trial.

Trump's words of support for Netanyahu contrast with the rare public rebuke he issued against Netanyahu last Tuesday over Israel's post-ceasefire attacks on Iran.

"Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel," Trump told reporters at the time.

Iran and Israel, he said, had been fighting "so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing."

On June 13, Israel attacked Iran, which then retaliated. They exchanged airstrikes almost every day until the ceasefire initiated by Trump was reached on June 23, 2025.

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