Trump urges Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups

The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced today that he had received an official letter from US President Donald Trump calling on him to consider granting a pardon to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing trial on corruption charges. Trump's letter stated: "With all due respect for the independence of the Israeli judiciary, I believe that the case against Bibi (Netanyahu), who has stood by me for so long in the face of Israel's enemies, foremost among them Iran, is a political and unjustified trial." Trump had personally urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu during his visit to Israel last October, during a speech before the Knesset in Jerusalem. Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 in three cases related to receiving gifts from businessmen worth about 700,000 shekels (about $212,000). The Prime Minister denies the charges, describing the trial as a "political witch hunt" aimed at overthrowing him. Although the position of Israeli President is primarily ceremonial, he has the power to issue pardons in exceptional cases. In contrast, opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the law requires a convicted person to admit guilt before considering granting him a pardon, stressing that Netanyahu has not done so. For his part, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on President Herzog to respond to Trump's request, considering that the accusations against Netanyahu are "fabricated" and that "a pardon is the correct and urgent action." Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, stated that Netanyahu should resign if he is unable to run the government and face the judiciary at the same time.