Bassem Youssef dishes out judgment in ‘Bibi’s Trial’

ISTANBUL

Television host Bassem Youssef stars as a fictional International Criminal Court (ICC) judge passing judgment on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the satirical song "Bibi’s Trial," which has garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and reviews.

Directed by filmmaker Bassel Nasser and produced by Ali Shehata and Yousef Al-Shemari, "Bibi’s Trial" imagines a courtroom where Netanyahu (Bibi) faces trial before the ICC. Youssef plays the judge who delivers a flashy entrance and swiftly declares Netanyahu guilty, while a US lawyer, portrayed by Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Al-Nour, defends him.

As the song progresses, the jury and the courtroom audience, including Youssef’s judge, are increasingly manipulated by the US lawyer, eventually dancing and moving in a puppet-like fashion, adorned with US flags.

The song has received widespread praise, including from Palestinian journalist Ayman Al-Hesi, who commented: “This is indeed the global reality of defending the occupier and placing the blame on the victim. Greetings to you from Gaza.”

"Bibi’s Trial" follows in the footsteps of Al-Nour's previous political satire, "United Sugar-daddy of America," released in February, which also attracted significant attention on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued its relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Since then, nearly 42,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, with over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip, exacerbating shortages of food, clean water, and medicine due to a long-standing blockade.

Israel is currently facing genocide charges at the International Court of Justice over its actions in Gaza.