Chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) said Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial should be overturned, arguing it harms the State of Israel. Speaking to Reshet Bet Radio, Rothman claimed that while the country suffers, Netanyahu himself “only benefits from the situation.”
Rothman echoed recent comments by President Donald Trump, who also called for the trial’s dismissal. “It’s not my job to criticize Trump’s style,” Rothman said, “but in terms of substance, he is absolutely right.”
He also criticized the court’s refusal to postpone Netanyahu’s testimony by two weeks, calling the decision “ridiculous” and a violation of the so-called “Buzgalo test,” a principle of equal treatment in Israeli law, Buzaglo being the proverbial non-Ashkenazi Israeli surname. Rothman said Netanyahu is being treated unfairly compared to other defendants.
Rothman argued that canceling the trial would allow Netanyahu to focus on sensitive national security matters—most urgently, efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas that could also lead to the return of hostages and broader diplomatic breakthroughs. U.S. and Qatari mediators have reportedly expressed optimism about a potential agreement following the end of hostilities with Iran.
Meanwhile, Kan 11 News reported that Netanyahu held a limited security consultation on the Gaza war and hostage negotiations, with another meeting scheduled for later on Sunday.
For the second time, the court has rejected Netanyahu’s request to cancel his scheduled testimony in the three cases against him over the next two weeks. The judges ruled that “no data was presented that might justify the cancellation of the hearings.”
In the renewed request filed Monday, Netanyahu’s legal team argued that in light of Operation Rising Lion, and other ongoing regional and international developments, the prime minister must devote his full attention to urgent political, national, and security matters.
“Given these exceptional circumstances,” the request stated, “the Honorable Court is asked to cancel the hearings scheduled for the next two weeks in which the Prime Minister is to testify.”
The court, however, found the arguments unconvincing and decided the proceedings would continue as scheduled.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who in the past served as Justice Minister, publicly expressed support Thursday for ending Netanyahu’s ongoing trial.
In a statement, Sa’ar argued that while prosecutors were preparing to cross-examine Netanyahu, the prime minister was leading strategic preparations for what he described as Israel’s historic campaign against Iran.
“I was privileged to take part in a fascinating and lengthy process where careful planning—military and political—combined with creativity and boldness led to unprecedented achievements,” Sa’ar said. “This campaign, waged far from Israel’s borders, will be studied in military academies for years to come.”
Sa’ar sharply criticized the continuation of Netanyahu’s trial, calling it a drawn-out process with little remaining value. “For months, the prime minister has been forced to appear daily in a ‘trial’ that lost its meaning long ago,” he said.
He also cited a previous suggestion by the judges to reconsider the prosecution’s “precedent-setting and unfounded” bribery charge related to favorable media coverage. “What remains,” Sa’ar said, “is the charge of breach of trust—a vague offense that should have been removed from the legal code long ago.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voiced support for President Donald Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s trial, calling it “absurd” and politically motivated.
“Israel is indeed an independent and sovereign state, but President Trump is absolutely right,” Ben-Gvir said. “It’s time to cancel the absurd trial that the Deep State fabricated in an attempt to carry out a coup against democracy. We need urgent reform of the legal system!”
Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman took her criticism a step further, calling for criminal action against those she referred to as “the case tailors” – a derogatory term used to describe members of the legal establishment involved in forging the Netanyahu cases.
“Thank you, President Trump, for supporting fairness and truth in the face of a criminal legal seamstress,” Silman said. “We need not only to cancel the trial but also to establish a commission of inquiry into the seamstresses!”
