Washington - Saba:
US President Donald Trump called for a halt to the trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the occupied territories, saying that he had become the victim of a "vicious campaign" (as he put it).
"What they're doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu is terrible," Trump said on the "Truth Social" program, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik.
According to Trump, Netanyahu is currently negotiating with the Palestinian Hamas movement over a deal that includes the release of prisoners.
He added, "What these out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu is insane. The United States spends billions of dollars a year, far more than any other country, to protect and support Israel."
"We will not accept this," Trump emphasized, adding, "Let Bibi go".
On Thursday, Netanyahu asked the court to postpone his testimony in his trial for two weeks, citing the current situation in the region and the need to devote all of his time to solving current problems, including managing the war in Gaza and freeing prisoners.
The court rejected the request, stating that he had presented no basis or arguments for such a decision.
In December 2024, the Tel Aviv District Court began hearings in the long-running cases against the Israeli Prime Minister.
According to court orders, Netanyahu must testify three times a week, but this schedule has been repeatedly violated for various reasons.
Netanyahu faces several criminal investigations, the most serious of which is "Case 4000," which relates to lobbying on behalf of the country's largest telecommunications group, Bezeq, in exchange for favorable reviews of Netanyahu on the popular Walla news website, which the company controls.
Netanyahu is also charged with fraud and breach of trust in Cases 2000 and 1000. "Case 1000" concerns suspicions that Netanyahu received expensive gifts—luxury cigars and champagne—from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, with the investigation estimating their total value at approximately $300,000. Investigators believe that in exchange for these gifts, Netanyahu exerted pressure to advance the personal and business interests of the wealthy businessman.
Case 2000 concerns the Israeli prime minister's attempts to negotiate with the owner of one of the country's largest media groups, Yedioth Ahronoth, to provide him with positive media coverage in exchange for a law restricting the activities of its competitor, the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom. Netanyahu has previously stated that the goal of these charges is to remove him from the premiership.
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