By Paul Craig Roberts - November 14, 2025

Last Wednesday President Trump pressured Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu before his corruption trial is over. The trial has been off and on as Netanyahu’s wars heat up and cool down. Trump’s pressure on Herzog, little doubt at Netanyahu’s request, indicates that Trump and Netanyahu do not expect trial to exonerate Netanyahu.

The case against Netanyahu was brought by the Israeli judicial system and is based on evidence of fraud, acceptance of bribes, and breech of trust. Trump in his letter to Herzog dismissed the case as “political” and “unjustified prosecution.”

The Western media, such as Melanie Lidman at AP, presents the case as “undue American influence over internal Israeli affairs,” whereas in fact it is Netanyahu’s undue influence over the American president.

Is there to be no end of Trump’s tow-kowing to Israel? Trump was the first to break the rule and acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump committed an act of war against Iran for Israel. Trump supports Israel’s genocide of Palestine, supplying the money, weapons, and diplomatic support. Trump claims a ceasefire despite Israel’s continuing bombings, shootings, and destruction of Palestine. Trump has turned against US Rep. Thomas Massie, one of his earliest supporters, for refusing to follow the Israeli line. Trump has demanded that universities prevent students and faculty from criticizing and protesting Israel’s massacre of Palestinians and theft of their country. And now Trump weighs in against the Israeli judicial system in a way that gives a green light to corruption.

Earlier there was some indication that Trump had in mind substituting an American Middle East empire in the place of Greater Israel, but now it seems that Greater Israel will be the majority partner. With most Arab states destroyed and Israel occupying southern Syria, Netanyahu has turned again to Israel’s war against Hezbollah for Lebanon. The remaining Arabs, small oil kingdoms, are being lined up for the American-backed Greater Israel project. The project has the support of a large chunk of MAGA-Americans who are Christian Zionists and believe that it is America’s God-imposed duty to support the advancement of Israel.

The border of Greater Israel formerly was from the Nile to the Euphrates. The Netanyahu government has expanded the border to include half of Saudi Arabia and all of Pakistan.

Formerly I wondered how tiny Israel could occupy such a vast territory. Then it dawned on me that Israel occupies the much larger territory of the United States by occupying the financial sector, entertainment, education, Congress, and US foreign policy. Israel has succeeded in identifying any criticism of Israel as anti-semitism and is succeeding in having Congress and states pass laws that criminalize anti-semitism. As Israel has no trouble controlling the US and brags loudly of its power to do so, Israel will have no trouble controlling divided Arabs who have no strong countries or leaders.

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