The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has formally asked the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for pardon for the three corruption cases against him. His Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, said Wednesday that the American president had sent him a letter expressing “respect” for the Jewish state’s judicial system, but in which he addressed Netanyahu’s complaints by saying that the triple trial represents “a political and unjustified persecution.”
Trump’s letter comes after the American president recently supported pardoning Netanyahu, accused since 2019 of fraud, corruption and breach of trust. The president, who pleaded “not guilty” in 2021, is accused of accepting gifts from businessmen worth $211,000 – around 182,000 euros – in cigars or champagne, and of using his influence to buy favorable media coverage towards him in exchange for legislative proposals. measures to the advantage of a telecommunications magnate.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli judicial system and its requirements,” Trump says in the letter, released by President Herzog’s office, “I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi (Netanyahu’s nickname), who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against Israel’s tough adversaries and (even against) Iran, is political and unjustified persecution.”
“Now that we have saved the hostages (Israelis in Gaza),” the text continues, “it is time to allow Netanyahu to unite Israel through his pardon, and to put an end to this situation.” law once and for all,” the American concludes, using the term that describes the use of the legal and judicial systems to harm a political opponent.
In Israel the president of the state has the power to pardon those who have been convicted. On some occasions, if the case is deemed to be of public interest, pardon can be applied even before sentencing. To do this, the pardon must be requested by the suspect or a direct family member, which has not happened so far. In a statement on Wednesday, Herzog simply stressed that “those seeking pardon must submit a petition according to established procedures.”
On October 13, during an appearance before the Knesset – the Israeli parliament – as part of the beginning of the truce in Gaza, Trump surprised by taking the opportunity to publicly address the president of Israel: “I have an idea, why don’t you pardon him?” “Cigars and champagne. Who the hell cares?” he said to applause from the camera and Netanyahu’s dejected smile, referring to the alleged gifts the prime minister received, according to one of the allegations.
In early November, Trump returned to office, stressing in an interview with the US network CBS that he would be “involved” in the corruption cases Netanyahu is facing “to help him a little”. “I don’t think they treat him very well. He’s judged for different things (…). We’ll try to help him a little, because I think it’s unfair.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid reacted to Trump’s letter via the social network. Netanyahu’s coalition partner and Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, used the same platform to welcome the American’s note. He called the charges against Netanyahu “shameful,” extending his criticism to the entire Israeli justice system, and called on President Herzog to “listen to Trump.”
Netanyahu, 76, Israel’s leader almost continuously since 2009, is the only sitting prime minister in history to be indicted in a corruption trial. Since the judicial investigation began in 2020, the president has described the case as a witch hunt orchestrated by the left, and has applied all kinds of tactics to freeze or postpone it. Netanyahu’s entourage is considering asking his wife Sara Netanyahu for a pardon, Israeli television network Channel 13 reported in October, citing sources in the prime minister’s office.
