Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he received a letter from US President Donald Trump on Wednesday asking him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing court cases, with no ruling yet delivered, and his supporters have dismissed the trials as politically motivated.
In a speech to the Israeli parliament in October, Trump suggested to Herzog that he pardon Netanyahu.
“This morning, President Isaac Herzog received the attached letter from US President Donald Trump, calling on him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Herzog’s office said in a statement.
In the letter, Trump says he is writing to Herzog at a “historic time, as we have, together, just secured peace that has been sought for at least 3,000 years.”
“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister,” it adds.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System… I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi… is political, unjustified prosecution,” the letter says.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
He is also accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in two other cases.
The statement from Herzog’s office said the Israeli president holds Trump “in the highest regard and continues to express his deep appreciations for President Trump’s unwavering support for Israel”.
“Alongside and not withstanding this… anyone seeking a Presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures,” it added.
During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.
Those prompted massive protests that were only curtailed after the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Trump himself has long accused his political opponents of using the Justice Department to target him during his time out of office.
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© Agence France-Presse
