U.S. ambassador makes an unprecedented visit to Netanyahu's trial
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee delivers remarks as President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a dinner on July 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, arrived on Wednesday at the district court in Tel Aviv to attend Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial.
Why it matters: Huckabee's attendance at the court hearing is a significantly unusual and unprecedented move by a U.S. ambassador to Israel.
- The move was a way for Huckabee and the Trump administration to express support for Israel's prime minister and to signal what seems to be distrust in the nation's judicial system.
Driving the news: In the weeks since the war between Israel and Iran ended, Trump has been pressing publicly to halt Netanyahu's corruption trial, dangling an implicit threat to suspend military assistance if the "witch hunt" continues against the prime minister.
- Netanyahu is standing trial for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
- He's accused of accepting more than $200,000 in gifts from wealthy businessmen, and of granting regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a telecom tycoon in exchange for favorable news coverage.
- The trial has stretched on for four years, in part due to Netanyahu's repeated legal delay tactics. The former head of Israel's Shin Bet has accused the prime minister of trying to use executive powers to stall the case.
Zoom out: Huckabee announced his planned attendance at the trial during a conference in Tel Aviv and said he only wanted to see what was going on at the court.
- At the court, Huckabee said he didn't come to the hearing to express an opinion on the legal proceeding itself, but to send the message that President Trump was in a similar situation in the U.S. and that he thinks the trial distracts Netanyahu from his role as prime minister.
Yes, but: Trump didn't stand trial while serving as president, but after his first term ended.
What they're saying: "The judges are not the ones who brought this indictment. The judges are great. Me being here has nothing to do with the judges, but with the fact that this whole trial is wrong," Huckabee told reporters at the court.
- Huckabee was at the court for a short time before the hearing became a closed-door session, as it involved classified issues.
- "I stopped by the trial of @IsraeliPM in Tel Aviv today. My conclusion @realDonaldTrump is right…again. Huckabee wrote on X after leaving the court.
