The criminal trial hearing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday was attended by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, in a show of support for the Israeli leader, though it was cut short when clashes broke out and tensions rose in southern Syria.
Huckabee said the trial was a familiar “witch-hunt” process that US President Donald Trump experienced.
“The president understands” what Netanyahu is going through, Huckabee told the press. “It is something he relates to personally.”
Last month, Trump called for Netanyahu to be pardoned in the trial that has been ongoing since 2020, when the prime minister pleaded not guilty to all charges.
After Trump’s post on the matter, a political storm was set off in Israel, with some politicians calling for the trial to be halted or for a plea bargain, while others decried what they observed to be a breach of sovereignty. The prime minister’s criminal trials are a matter of internal Israeli concern, and it is not appropriate for another state to comment on such matters, even Israel’s greatest ally, critics argued.
“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State [of Israel],” Trump wrote in June.
'A political witch hunt'
“How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING (Cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.)? It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure,” he added.
Huckabee tweeted on Wednesday, “I stopped by the trial of [Netanyahu] in Tel Aviv today. My conclusion? [Trump] is right... again.”
The trial began as scheduled, at around 9:30 a.m., but was cut short, at around 12 p.m., in conjunction with clashes in southern Syria between the forces of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the local Druze population. The IDF soon after said it struck the entrance to Syria’s military headquarters complex in Damascus.
Huckabee was in the courtroom for several minutes. His timing was particularly opportune due to the subject matter: requests by Hollywood billionaire Arnon Milchan from authorities, including Netanyahu, around 2013-2014, to renew his US visa. One of the calls made was to then-US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro.
When the questioning began to touch on sensitive security information related to Milchan, a representative from the Defense Ministry called for the hearing to move to a closed-door setting. The hearing was called to an end shortly after due to the developments in southern Syria.
The case in question is Case 1000, the focus of which is Netanyahu’s long-time friendship with Milchan. The prime minister is on trial for allegedly advancing legislation favorable to Milchan while receiving thousands of shekels worth of cigars and champagne from him. The prime minister was charged with fraud and breach of trust.
Prosecution representative attorney Yehonatan Tadmor asked Netanyahu about the fallout from an interview Milchan gave in 2013 to the Uvda investigative team, in which he referenced some security activities he had done. At around that time, Milchan had requested an extension for his US visa, but it was allegedly denied due to the interview. The indictment alleges that Netanyahu tried to help his friend with this matter; the prime minister denies any involvement.
Tadmor asked how much Netanyahu knew personally of the grief the situation caused Milchan, referencing requests the producer put in with various government offices on the matter.
The visa extension request was for one year. Questioned by Tadmor, Netanyahu said he didn’t know the details of the visa issue at the time, despite being such a close friend of Milchan’s.
Six months later, Milchan received a 10-year visa.
Addressing Milchan’s specific requests to Netanyahu on the matter, Tadmor referenced what Milchan said in his testimony to the court in 2023, that when he learned of the visa cancellation, he made two phone calls: one to Shapiro and the second to Netanyahu.
The prime minister said he remembered being aware of the situation in real-time, but that he doesn’t recall the specific phone call. Hadas Klein, who was Milchan’s personal assistant and later became a state’s witness, said in her testimony that Milchan called a lot of people about the issue, including Netanyahu’s staff, but did not imply that he spoke chiefly with the prime minister.
Netanyahu added that, at a different point in time, Milchan had also approached former prime minister and president Shimon Peres with a similar issue “because he [Milchan] understood that though this issue affects him personally, it is also of national importance.”
The prime minister insisted that what concerned him were matters of national interest and personal friendship regarding Milchan, but not his visa problems.
The fight in this case centers on Netanyahu’s interests: He insists they were purely personal, contrary to what the prosecution has proposed – that business concerns slitted their way through even the closest of friendships, and that was problematic because Netanyahu was in a position of power.