In a dramatic foreign policy intervention, U.S. President Donald Trump has formally requested that Israeli President Isaac Herzog issue a full pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial on multiple charges of corruption.
President Herzog’s office confirmed on Wednesday that it had received a letter from President Trump urging the Israeli head of state to unilaterally end the long-running criminal proceedings, which have deeply polarized Israeli politics.
‘Political, Unjustified Prosecution’
The letter, which the Israeli presidency released, praised Netanyahu’s leadership and directly challenged the legitimacy of the criminal case against him.
“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister,” President Trump wrote to President Herzog, arguing that Netanyahu’s continued leadership is essential for a “time of peace.”
While asserting respect for the “independence of the Israeli Justice System,” President Trump decried the charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust as “political, unjustified prosecution,” framing the legal battle as an unnecessary distraction from the country’s security challenges and recent diplomatic successes.
This formal letter follows an off-script plea President Trump made last month during a speech to the Knesset, where he pointed at Netanyahu and publicly asked Herzog, “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”
Israeli Law Throws Up Roadblocks
The highly unusual request faces immediate and substantial obstacles under Israeli law, where the presidency is a largely ceremonial role but holds the final power to grant pardons.
- Formal Request Needed: President Herzog’s office responded by stating that while the president holds immense respect for President Trump, “anyone seeking a Presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.” No such formal request has yet been submitted by Netanyahu or his family.
- Admission of Guilt: More critically, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and legal experts were quick to point out that under Israeli law, the first condition for receiving a pardon is generally an admission of guilt and an expression of remorse for the actions committed—a requirement Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to meet, maintaining his plea of not guilty to all charges.
Netanyahu, the only sitting Israeli prime minister ever to stand trial, has consistently denied all allegations, dismissing the four-year-long case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” by his opponents, the media, and the judiciary.
The intervention by the U.S. President has sparked a fresh debate within Israel over the question of undue foreign influence on its internal legal affairs, even as Netanyahu’s political allies celebrated the request as validation of their claims that the trial is an illegitimate use of “lawfare.”