Israeli press review: Trump's call for Netanyahu's pardon met with criticism
Lapid warns Trump must not interfere in Netanyahu case
Israeli media on Thursday focused on Donald Trump's call for Israel to either pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his long-running corruption trial.
"Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State [of Israel]," the US president wrote on Truth Social.
Trump's call was supported by members of Netanyahu's far-right coalition, while the opposition came out against it.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Trump "is not supposed to interfere in a legal process in an independent state.
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"I assume it's compensation he's [Trump] giving him [Netanyahu] because he's going to bend him on the Gaza issue and end the war. It suits Trump," Lapid told Israeli news website Ynet.
Senior journalist Ben Caspit also made a similar claim about a possible deal between Netanyahu and Trump.
"Trump stopped Netanyahu this week from continuing his attacks on Iran, shutting down the war in his face before the Iranian regime collapsed or the dust had even settled, then rushed to lift the sanctions on Iran," Caspit wrote in Maariv.
"Maybe he will also force the cessation of the unnecessary war in Gaza. So, at the same time, he also threw him a personal lollipop, to sweeten the bitter pills.
"For this reason, I'm also not sure that the timing of the attack on Iran had nothing to do with the beginning of the cross-examination," Caspit added in reference to Netanyahu's trial.
Israeli minister says Turkey should be 'the next Iran'
Last week, popular TV host Eyal Berkovic sparked controversy when he joked on air that after defeating Hamas and Iran, Israel’s next rival would be Turkey.
Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, a member of Benjamin Netanuyahu's Likud party, on Wednesday echoed Berkovic's remarks about Turkey during an interview on the far-right Channel 14.
"We have to look at who is the next Iran," Chikli said following a ceasefire that ended 12 days of conflict with Iran.
Chikli added that Israel needs to "follow the speeches of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. He has now led a conference of Islamic countries.
"Erdogan is mistakenly a member of Nato, he is mistakenly considered a friend amongst people close to us. Trump is also close to him," the minister said.
"But his ideology is the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. This is very dangerous. When we look ahead 10 years from now, Syria and Turkey should be the heart of the defence establishment's business."
Israeli media says war on Gaza not bringing results
Following the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the war in Gaza has once again taken centre stage in Israeli discourse, with government officials, journalists, and citizens voicing growing frustration over what they see as a pointless conflict.
The mother of a soldier who was killed along with six others in an ambush in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, this week, said on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers "are very tired. They are worn out. And it has to end".
'What we did in Gaza may have had potential in theory, but in practice, it doesn't bring results'
- three government ministers speaking to Channel 12
"It feels unnecessary to me that so much has been lost," the mother added about Israel's war on Gaza.
Maariv journalist Avi Ashkenazi also weighed in with sharp criticism, highlighting the heavy toll of the war.
"There was a tactical failure in the incident in Khan Younis," he wrote, "but the unimaginable burnout of IDF soldiers in Gaza in a never-ending war turns the incident into a tragedy that should shake the Israeli public."
Ashkenazi noted that while Israel is celebrating its victory over Iran, "we are in deep trouble in Gaza. We are in an ongoing military and political failure.
"The IDF's situation in this war is difficult, very difficult," Ashkenazi said. "The IDF is acting forcefully in Gaza. It has already done everything it can."
He added that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz are more focused on preserving the government than on advancing solutions.
Some members of the government have also voiced frustration that Israel’s campaign in Gaza is failing to produce results.
"One thing is clear: what we did in Gaza may have had potential in theory, but in practice, it doesn't bring results," three ministers told Channel 12 News on condition of anonymity.
"We must either take new military action, as promised, or strive for a conclusion and one deal," the ministers told Channel 12 News on condition of anonymity.
"Anyone who thought that Hamas would run for a deal after the attack on Iran does not understand Hamas' DNA," the sources told Channel 12 News, amid reports that negotiations on a deal between Israel and Hamas are stuck.
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