Former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax on Monday it's not right that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing charges.
"This is a case that should never have been brought," he said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
He called the charges against Netanyahu baseless and politically distorted.
Dershowitz said he has advised Netanyahu for years and has been both a friend and an attorney to him.
He said the case illustrates what he sees as a stark difference between Israel's legal system and that of the United States.
"The American system is so much better. You can't put a sitting president on trial."
He said the charges Netanyahu faces are "absurd," describing them as allegations that the prime minister accepted "a few bottles of Champagne and some cigars" and sought to influence media outlets "not to tell terrible stories about his wife."
Dershowitz argued that such interactions are "commonplace in Israel" and said "the idea of criminalizing those kinds of ordinary activities really shows a kind of selective prosecution."
He expressed hope that the judges would dismiss the case.
He added that the court has already directed prosecutors to drop the most serious charge because "there's nothing there."
Based on that development, he said, "there is a substantial possibility that he might be acquitted if it goes to the end, or that he would be convicted only on a slap on the wrist."
He also addressed speculation about a potential pardon for Netanyahu, saying the option could create a political dilemma.
"The problem with a pardon is that for some, it will sound like, if he accepts it or asks for it, it's an admission of guilt," Dershowitz said.
He argued that Netanyahu cannot afford such distractions because he "has to get back to the business on hand" and oversee urgent national security matters.
Dershowitz pointed to the Hamas ceasefire, the risk of broader conflict with Lebanon, Iran's nuclear ambitions, and attacks from Yemen as areas requiring Netanyahu's full attention.
"Israel is surrounded on so many sides," he said, adding that Netanyahu has been managing "this multi-front war" and should not be "sitting in court on these, what I regard as trivial, trivial, mostly nonoffenses."
He concluded by saying he hopes the case soon "comes to an end one way or another."
Netanyahu asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday for a pardon to dispose of the yearslong corruption case, saying it is hindering his ability to govern and a pardon would be good for Israel.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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