Will the US cut aid to Israel after Trump attacks Netanyahu trial?
President Donald Trump on June 28 (US time) fiercely attacked Israeli prosecutors over the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the same time, he declared that Washington - which has provided billions of dollars in aid to Israel - will not "tolerate" this.
Prime Minister Netanyahu was indicted in Israel in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all charges he denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases.
“It’s crazy that out of control prosecutors would do what they are doing to Bibi Netanyahu,” Trump wrote in a post on the Truth Social social network.
This judicial process would interfere with Mr Netanyahu's ability to conduct negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and with Iran, he added.
This is Mr Trump’s second post in the past few days defending Mr Netanyahu and calling for the trial to be dismissed. This time he went a step further, linking Israel’s legal action to US aid.
"Every year, the United States spends billions of dollars, more than any other country, to protect and support Israel. We will not tolerate this," Mr. Trump declared.
President Trump also said that Netanyahu was “right now” negotiating a deal with Hamas, but did not provide further details. The Republican president told reporters on June 27 that he believed a ceasefire was imminent.
Hamas has said it is ready to release the remaining hostages in Gaza in any deal to end the war, while Israel says the war can only end if Hamas is disarmed and eliminated. Hamas refuses to lay down its weapons.
Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has increased following recent US and Israeli bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities. A ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect earlier this week.
