Trump letter urges Israel’s president to pardon PM Netanyahu

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has received a letter from US President Donald Trump formally urging him to “fully pardon” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has been standing trial for the past five years on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases. He has denied any wrongdoing.

In the letter, Trump writes that he “absolutely” respects the independence of Israel’s justice system, but that he believes Netanyahu is facing “a political, unjustified prosecution”.

Herzog’s office said he held Trump “in the highest regard”, but that anyone seeking a pardon had to submit a formal request.

Netanyahu later thanked Trump for the “incredible support”.

“As usual, you get right to the point and call it like it is,” he wrote on X. “I look forward to continuing our partnership to bolster security and expand peace.”

In 2020, Netanyahu became the first serving Israeli prime minister to stand trial.

In the first case, prosecutors have alleged that he received gifts – mainly cigars and bottles of champagne – from powerful businessmen in exchange for favours.

He is accused in the second case of offering to help improve the circulation of an Israeli newspaper in exchange for positive coverage.

And in the third, prosecutors have alleged that he promoted regulatory decisions favourable to the controlling shareholder of an Israeli telecoms company in exchange for positive coverage by a news website.

Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and branded the trial as a “witch-hunt” by political opponents.

Last month, after helping to broker the ceasefire in Israel’s two-year with Hamas in Gaza, Trump said Herzog should pardon his close ally in a seemingly off-the-cuff remark during a speech to the Israeli parliament.

“Cigars and Champagne, who the hell cares about that?” he asked.

In his letter to the president, Trump writes: “As the Great State of Israel and the amazing Jewish People move past the terribly difficult times of the last three years, I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace.”

He adds: “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi [Netanyahu], who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution.”

The response from Herzog’s office is diplomatic, saying that he “holds President Trump in the highest regard and continues to express his deep appreciation for President Trump’s unwavering support for Israel”.

It also politely points out that “anyone seeking a Presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures”.

According to Israel’s Basic Law, the president “has the power to pardon criminals and reduce or transmute their sentence”.

However, the High Court of Justice has previously ruled that the president could pardon an individual before they are convicted, if it is in the public interest or if there are extreme personal circumstances.

A pardon would also need to be requested by the accused or a close relative.

There has been no public indication of this so far, although there is speculation in the Israeli media that this could happen.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, urged Herzog to “listen to President Trump”, saying Netanyahu’s trial had “become an indictment against the prosecution itself, whose carelessness and crimes are revealed in court every day”.

However, Israel’s opposition leader and former prime minister, Yair Lapid, wrote on X: “Reminder: Israeli law stipulates that the first condition for receiving a pardon is an admission of guilt and an expression of remorse.”

He later told Israel’s parliament: “There comes a moment when people must tell themselves… we must also say ‘no’ to an American president. We are a sovereign country; there’s a limit to interference.”

For Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and his supporters, a pardon has long been sought since his trial began.

But for many in Israel – especially on the left – it would be seen as another move away from the country’s sense of itself as a robust democracy with a strong legal system.

It was fears that this was under attack with the government’s plans for judicial reforms that brought hundreds of thousands out onto the streets in protest for many months before the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 that triggered the Gaza war.