Tel Aviv, MINA – Members of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) are accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of leveraging the ongoing Gaza war to bring an end to his corruption trial, Anadolu Agency reports.
“(Netanyahu) is conditioning the future of Israel and our children on his trial,” Naama Lazimi, a Knesset member for the Democratic Party, stated in remarks quoted by The Times of Israel on Sunday.
She asserted that the Israeli prime minister is unfit for office because he is “trading his indictments in exchange for a political settlement and an end to the war.”
US President Donald Trump on Saturday renewed his call for Netanyahu’s corruption trial to be canceled. Highlighting the billions of dollars the US spends annually to support Israel, Trump declared, “We’re not going to tolerate this” and urged authorities to “Free Bibi.”
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“Those behind President Trump’s tweet are Netanyahu and his corrupt gang,” said Democratic lawmaker Gilad Kariv.
He condemned the Israeli prime minister and his circle for being “willing to play with the national security of the State of Israel and the issue of the hostages to save Netanyahu from conviction in court.”
Palestinian resistance group Hamas has repeatedly stated they are ready to release all Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for an end to the ongoing war, an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
However, Netanyahu has rejected these terms, continuing the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, where over 56,400 people have been killed since October 2023.
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Knesset member Karine Elharrar of Yesh Atid warned that Netanyahu “is acting against the Israeli public’s interest” by linking his legal fate to hostage negotiations and regional normalization agreements. She also accused Trump of effectively “conditioning US aid on the prime minister’s trial.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged the US president not to interfere in the legal processes of an independent country. He also suggested that Trump’s intervention might be a form of “compensation” to Netanyahu for political concessions in Gaza.
Simcha Rothman, a Religious Zionism lawmaker and chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, called Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial “inappropriate even if he is right.”
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust that could lead to a prison sentence if proven. In January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions related to Case 1000, 2000, and 4000, all of which he denies. The Attorney General filed indictments related to these cases in late November 2019.
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Case 1000 involves Netanyahu and his family allegedly receiving expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for favors.
Case 2000 concerns alleged negotiations with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, to secure positive media coverage.
Case 4000, considered the most serious, involves granting facilitation to Shaul Elovitch, former owner of the Walla news website and the Bezeq telecommunications company, in exchange for favorable media coverage. [Shibgho]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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