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Sebastian Usher,Jerusalem
Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump officially calling for a “full pardon” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has been on trial in three cases over the past five years on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denied any wrongdoing.
In the letter, Trump wrote that he “absolutely” respects the independence of Israel’s judicial system but believes Netanyahu faces a “political and unjust prosecution.”
Herzog’s office said it had the “utmost respect” for President Trump, but said anyone seeking a pardon would have to submit a formal request.
Netanyahu later thanked Trump for his “amazing support.”
“As usual, I get straight to the point and tell it like it is,” he told
In 2020, Netanyahu became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial.
In the first case, prosecutors alleged that he received gifts, primarily cigars and bottles of champagne, from powerful businessmen in return for favors.
He was accused in a second case of offering to help improve the circulation of an Israeli newspaper in exchange for positive coverage.
Third, prosecutors alleged that he encouraged regulatory decisions favorable to the controlling shareholders of an Israeli news agency in exchange for positive coverage on news websites.
Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has called the trial a “witch hunt” by his political opponents.
Trump, who helped broker a two-year ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip last month, said Herzog should pardon his close ally for his seemingly off-the-cuff remarks in a speech to Israel’s parliament.
“Cigar and champagne, who cares about that?” he asked.
“As the great State of Israel and the incredible Jewish people move through three terrible years, I ask you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, a strong and decisive wartime prime minister who is now leading Israel into an era of peace,” Trump wrote in his letter to the president.
“I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli judicial system and its requirements, but I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi (Netanyahu), who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against Israel’s very powerful enemy Iran, is a political and unjustified prosecution,” he added.
Prime Minister Herzog’s office’s response was diplomatic. He said, “I have the highest regard for President Trump and express my deep gratitude for his unwavering support for Israel.”
He also politely pointed out, “Anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request according to established procedures.”
According to Israel’s Basic Law, the president “has the power to pardon criminals and commute or commute the sentences of criminals.”
But the high court has previously ruled that the president can pardon individuals before they are convicted if it is in the public interest or in extreme personal circumstances.
Additionally, the defendant or a close relative must request a pardon.
There is speculation in the Israeli media that this could happen, but so far there has been no public indication of this.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Netanyahu’s trial had “become an indictment of the prosecution itself” and urged Herzog to “listen to President Trump.” Prosecutors’ negligence and crimes are revealed in court every day.
But Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid wrote to “Reminder: Israeli law stipulates that the first condition for receiving a pardon is admission of guilt and expression of remorse.”
He later told the Israeli parliament: “There comes a moment when people have to say for themselves… We must also say ‘no’ to the President of the United States. We are a sovereign nation. There are limits to interference.”
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and his supporters have long called for a pardon since his trial began.
But to many in Israel, especially those on the left, this will be seen as yet another move away from the country’s perception of itself as a solid democracy with a strong legal system.
Fears were it was coming under attack over the government’s judicial reform plans, which saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets in protest for months before the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
