Following the unprecedented remarks of US President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday evening called for the corruption cases against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be dropped, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar published a scathing post on Thursday morning in which he attacked the judicial system and deemed the cases against Netanyahu as a perversion of justice against him and the entire country.

Sa’ar wrote that “during long months in which the Prime Minister stood at the forefront of managing a historic campaign against Iran, he was forced to appear again and again in court—for a trial that has lost all real value, a trial on events from a decade ago that has been going on for five years regarding an offense that should have been removed from the books.”

“The judges already suggested two years ago that the prosecution reconsider the indictment on the bribery charge. Since then, almost nothing remains—and yet the state continues to conduct a long and exhausting trial for breach of trust while recruiting three state witnesses. This is a farce that is stagnating, not advancing justice, and it is a perversion of justice not just for Netanyahu but for the entire country.”

Sa’ar noted that even when he was in the opposition, he called for ending the trial with a plea bargain, but according to him, “the prosecution refused any attempt at mediation and entrenched itself in its path.” Now, he says, with the military campaign against Iran in full swing and the Prime Minister “managing it around the clock,” the prosecution is expected to put an end to the legal saga: “The prosecution has the authority to stay the proceedings—it should have been exercised a long time ago. No wonder the call for a pardon is rising, and Trump simply said what everyone thinks.”

Culture Minister Miki Zohar posted an image of Netanyahu and Trump in front of an image of a lion and stated, “President Trump is right—it’s time to call off the trial! The president of the world’s greatest superpower and a true friend of the Jewish people, Donald Trump, voices what many Israeli citizens feel in their hearts—especially and particularly in the midst of historic days in the nation’s history. The legacy of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be etched in the annals of history as one who saved the Jewish state from a proven existential threat and a real danger of annihilation and as one of the greatest leaders in its history.”

“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. The cases are collapsing anyway, and therefore it is not too late to recalculate.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated, “Israel is indeed an independent and sovereign country, but President Trump is absolutely right—it is time to cancel the absurd trial that the deep state fabricated in an attempt to carry out a coup against democracy. An urgent reform in the judicial system is a must!”

Likud MK Tally Gotliv went even further than her colleagues, calling on Trump to impose personal sanctions against top judicial officials.

She wrote, “Dear President Trump, you are, of course, correct in every word, but the court in Israel, how shall I put it delicately, is not particularly impressed. I suggest, Mr. President, that you impose personal sanctions on the persecutors of the Prime Minister who act out of malicious and political motives and exploit the management of the evidence-less trial against him to weaken the strength of Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

“First and foremost, I suggest imposing sanctions on the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and on the President of the Supreme Court Yitzchak Amit, who severely undermine the ability of the government led by Netanyahu to govern and lead Israel to defeat its enemies. Attorney General Miara and Judge Yitzchak Amit strive in every way to harm the powers of the Prime Minister, who has led Israel and the world alongside you to security and strength. That’s the way to go.”

Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Constitution Committee, expressed his strong agreement with Trump’s message but noted that “it is not the role of the President of the United States—not even when it comes to Trump, a true friend of Israel—to interfere in an internal legal process in a sovereign country. The independence of the judicial system is an important value for all of us, including Netanyahu.”

Instead, Rothman called on President Isaac Herzog to put a stop to the judicial madness. ” “The President can stop this saga in the proper way. If not, the Knesset must do what the judicial system fails to do on its own.”

Opposition Chairman Lapid and other left-wing politicians responded to Trump’s remarks by using it as yet another opportunity to slam Netanyahu by insinuating that a secret agreement was reached between Netanyahu and Trump.

“We are grateful to President Trump, but as Simcha Rothman said, the President should not interfere in a legal process in an independent country,” Lapid wrote. “I assume this is compensation he is giving him because he is going to force his hand over the issue of Gaza—to end the war.”

Rothman immediately responded to Lapid’s quotation of his words, stating, “Yair, my dear brother, come sign a letter with me today to President Herzog demanding the cessation of Netanyahu’s trial, and if not, let’s submit such a bill. The time has come for justice, quiet, and healing. Together we will win, b’ezrat Hashem!”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)