For an odd, anxious period at the start of the week, it appeared as though Donald Trump’s confounding ability to reshape the world around him had slipped the borders of the United States and extended into Israel.

Last Wednesday, the US president demanded in a social media post that Israeli prosecutors abandon a corruption case against their country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in April.Credit: AP

“It is terrible what they are doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu,” Trump wrote. “He is a War Hero, and a Prime Minister who did a fabulous job working with the United States to bring Great Success in getting rid of the dangerous Nuclear threat in Iran.

“Importantly, he is right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back. How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING (Cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.). It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure.”

Trump went so far as to link US military aid to the issue. “The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this.”

Then, on Sunday, an Israeli court announced that it had accepted a request from Netanyahu to defer hearings to be held next week after meeting with the prime minister and security officials. “Following the explanations given ... we partially accept the request and cancel at this stage Mr Netanyahu’s hearings scheduled” for this week, the Jerusalem district court said in its ruling, subsequently posted by Netanyahu’s Likud party.

In truth, says Jonathan Rynhold, a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, the decision had nothing to do with Trump. Netanyahu has been successfully slow-walking his trial on bribery and fraud charges for half a decade. The case has even dragged in Australian James Packer, named as one of the suppliers of $US195,000 ($297,000) worth of champagne and cigars, though not accused of any wrongdoing or any other involvement in the case.

“The reason the trial takes such a long time is because he’s always got........

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