U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would “help out” with the trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During an interview with “60 Minutes” at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump told journalist Norah O’Donnell: “I don’t think they treat him very well. He’s under trial for some things and I don’t think they treat him very well. We’ll be involved in that to help him out a little bit because I think it’s very unfair.”
Netanyahu faces corruption charges in three separate cases—Cases 1000 and 2000 (the charge is “breach of trust” in both instances), and Case 4000 (bribery, fraud and breach of trust).
Trump made similar remarks during his address to the Knesset in Jerusalem on Oct. 13, saying “Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President [Isaac Herzog], why don’t you give him a pardon? Give him a pardon. Come on.”
He called Netanyahu “one of the greatest wartime presidents,” mocking the charges against him: “And cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” The comment referred to Case 1000, in which the prime minister is accused of accepting valuables over the course of three years, mainly hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from two wealthy businessmen.
Ceasefire ‘very solid’
Trump dismissed suggestions that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was fragile, calling it “very solid.”
“You hear about Hamas, but Hamas can be taken out immediately if they don’t behave. They know that. If they don’t behave they’re going to be taken out immediately,” the president said. He was also asked about the terrorist group handing over its weapons as required by the agreement: “If I want them to disarm I’ll get them to disarm very quickly. They’ll be eliminated. They know that,” he said.
Of the remaining eight deceased hostages being held in Gaza, Trump said “we’re going to get them out too.”
On Monday, Israel announced the identification of three hostage bodies returned on Sunday.
“They are buried in many cases. They’re buried under rubble, but we pretty much know where they were. But I didn’t just get the 20 [living hostages] out, I got all of the hostages out,” added Trump.
Trump also claimed that the key to Middle East peace was “knocking the hell out of” Iran’s nuclear program, referring to the joint Israeli-American action last summer. “Iran very much wants to make a deal,” he added.
The president rejected the suggestion that the absence of a “two-state solution” would prevent Saudi Arabia from joining the Abraham Accords pact normalizing relations with Israel, as Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has said previously.
“No. I think he’s going to join. I think we will have a solution. I don’t know if it’s going to be two state. That’s going to be up to Israel and other people and me,” said the president.
