Hands off, Trump: Netanyahu’s trial isn’t yours to mess with

The president, who now is trying to get the Netanyahu trial cancelled, has done quite enough to undermine democracy in America. Leave other countries alone.

In international relations, it is not remotely appropriate for the leader of one democracy to interfere in the judicial proceedings of another, especially by accusing an ally of staging a “witch hunt” against its sitting prime minister. Calling for the cancellation of a corruption trial is a violation of sovereignty, diplomatic protocol, and the most basic norms of democratic governance.

So of course, Donald Trump would jump right in there whether Truth Social blazing. Over the weekend, in a series of posts, he attacked the Israeli legal system for putting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on trial. He called the case “insanity” and a “political witch hunt,” mocked the charges, warned that the United States “won’t stand for this,” and even linked the trial to American military aid — while urging that the proceedings be terminated.

But Trump’s understanding of the case is fundamentally flawed.