US President Donald Trump said that Washington will “be involved” in the criminal proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that the Israeli leader has been unfairly treated by law enforcement.

In a detailed interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes on Monday, Trump emphasized once again his view that Prime Minister Netanyahu was being subjected to "unjust treatment" by facing a corruption trial, a position he expressed while discussing the situation at length during the program.

Trump told 60 Minutes about Netanyahu’s trial, “We’ll be involved in that to help him out a little bit because I think it’s very unfair,” expressing his intention to intervene in what he sees as an unjust process.

The interviewer pointed out that Trump had previously urged Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar after the failed Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9 and to consent to a ceasefire in Gaza, and questioned whether the US president might also be able to pressure the prime minister into recognizing a Palestinian state, raising the issue during the discussion without reaching a final conclusion. 

Trump avoided answering the question directly and reiterated that he has had a strong working relationship with the “wartime prime minister,” adding, “That’s the kind of person you needed in Israel at the time." The US president did not reject the interviewer's point.

“I had to nudge him a bit in one direction or another. I did a great job in pushing,” Trump said, noting that Netanyahu is a “very talented guy… [who has] never been pushed before." He added, “I didn’t like certain things that he did, and you saw what I did about that."

Previous rescue attempts

This was not Trump's first attempt to rescue the Israeli prime minister, wanted by the ICC, from his corruption trial. 

During an address to the Israeli parliament in al-Quds on October 23, Trump urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During a more than one-hour speech, Trump said, "Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon? Cigars and some champagne — who the hell cares?" referring to the fraud, bribery, and breach of trust charges.

In June, the US president called for Netanyahu's trial to be canceled, as Netanyahu cast his legal ordeal as a "left-wing witch-hunt aimed at toppling an elected right-wing leader."

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases, one of which includes receiving almost 700,000 shekels ($210,000) in gifts from businessmen, including champagne and cigars.

However, there has been no ruling in Netanyahu's long-running trial, which began in 2020 and has been interrupted frequently during two years of war. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. 

Trump talks Gaza ceasefire on CBS

On the topic of Gaza, Trump asserted to CBS that the ceasefire brokered by the United States is not "fragile, and issued a threat to Hamas, stating that the group will be eliminated if it does not disarm.

Trump described the ceasefire, saying, “It’s not fragile. It’s a very solid,” adding, “Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave.”

Asked how he could compel Hamas to disarm under the next phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan, the president replied, “If I want them to disarm, I’ll get them to disarm very quickly. They’ll be eliminated,” saying he could make that happen swiftly if he chose to.

Trump failed to elaborate on how this will be achieved.

Saudi Arabia and 'two-state solution'

Trump also reiterated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not serious when he publicly conditions normalizing ties with "Israel" on the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, a point the president repeated as he questioned the crown prince’s commitment.

Trump was questioned about whether he believes the de facto Saudi leader’s recent claim that he would not join the US-brokered normalization deals without a "two-state solution", to which he replied, “No", adding, “I think he’s going to join [the Abraham Accords],” expressing his confidence that Saudi Arabia would participate despite the stated conditions.

“We will have a solution. I don’t know if it’s going to be two-state. That’s gonna be up to Israel and other people, and me,” Trump stated. 

He continued by emphasizing his view that the threat posed by a nuclear Iran has been the main factor preventing countries from joining the "Abraham Accords", arguing that the US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program in June will now allow those agreements to expand, a point he stressed while discussing the broader regional dynamics.