Israel should resolve PM’s case
Yet a case Mr Netanyahu’s detractors believed would doom his leadership drags on, with projections it could go for another few years. Mr Trump, recalling the Biden administration’s use of lawfare to try to prevent his return to the White House, has lashed out at what he sees as similar tactics being used against Mr Netanyahu. “LET BIBI GO, HE’S GOT A BIG JOB TO DO!” the US President demanded. “The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar (sic) a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this.”
The long hours sitting in a courtroom would hamper Mr Netanyahu in trying to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, Mr Trump said. He has a point. After his experience under the Biden administration, he knows the cost of having to spend days in court on trumped-up lawfare shenanigans. His closeness to the Israeli leader, with whom he worked to achieve the strike against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, is vital at a critical time in the Middle East. But that does not make his demand that the trial be “CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY” right or even in Mr Netanyahu’s best interests and those of Israel, the Middle East’s only functioning democracy where the rule of law prevails.
Any trial that drags on for so long raises serious questions about whether justice is being served. Israeli authorities would be foolish to ignore Mr Trump’s concern. But he is wrong to try to interfere directly in the judicial processes of a sovereign nation whose democratic system and rule of law stand out as shining beacons in the neighbourhood in which Israel is forced to fight for its survival. It is up to Israeli courts to ensure they are not misused for lawfare.
China cannot change who we are
The Prime Minister must devote more time and effort to the US relationship. Regardless of Australia’s current warmer relationship with China, the latter’s strategic ambitions in Asia are fundamentally different from Australia’s view.
Energy transition that is becoming an end unto itself
High costs and inefficiency are the opposite of productivity. But there’s a growing danger that an overly ambitious net-zero transition will become the key performance indicator for government.
Donald Trump is not alone in wondering, as he did on his Truth Social social media platform, “How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long over NOTHING”? It’s a fair question. Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial on what The Wall Street Journal described as “vague breach-of-trust charges” began in the Jerusalem District Court in May 2020 and witness testimony started in April 2021. Prosecutors rested their case in July 2024 and the defence began its argument with Mr Netanyahu giving testimony in December 2024.