U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States would not support the continued prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges.
“The United States of America spends billions of dollars every year, more than on any other country, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
On Friday, an Israeli court denied Netanyahu’s request to delay testifying in his trial, saying he didn’t give a strong enough reason.
In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting over $260,000 worth of gifts—like cigars, champagne, and jewelry—from wealthy businessmen in return for political favors. In two other cases, he is accused of trying to get better media coverage in exchange for favors.
Netanyahu has denied doing anything wrong. He also thanked Trump for supporting Israel in its war with Iran. A ceasefire agreement was announced earlier this week.
Netanyahu’s lawyer asked the court to let the prime minister skip some hearings, saying he needed to focus on national security matters.
Trump has strongly defended Netanyahu, calling the charges a “witch hunt.” On Saturday, he described Netanyahu as a “war hero” and said the trial could get in the way of important talks with Iran and Hamas, the armed group that attacked Israel from Gaza last October.
“This fake justice will get in the way of negotiations with both Iran and Hamas,” Trump said, although it’s unclear what talks with Iran he meant.
During the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, 251 people were taken hostage. Forty-nine are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 who the Israeli military says have died.
Talks are still happening to bring the remaining hostages and bodies home, while the war in Gaza continues.
Trump also compared Netanyahu’s situation to his own legal problems before becoming president again. “It is a political witch hunt, very similar to what I had to go through,” he said.
Trump was convicted in May 2024 on 34 charges of falsifying business records in a case about hush money paid to a porn star. He also faces federal charges over trying to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
