Jerusalem — Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he received a letter from President 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, Mr. Trump urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, telling the gathered lawmakers: “By the way, that was not in the speech, as you probably know! But I happen to like this gentleman right over here [Netanyahu], and it just seems to make so much sense.”
“This morning, President Isaac Herzog received the attached letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Herzog’s office said in a statement, adding that the president could not initiate a pardon based on the American leader’s request alone.
In his letter, Mr. Trump said he was 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 added. “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System … I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi … is political, unjustified prosecution.”
Netanyahu has long been known by the nickname Bibi.
Mr. Trump also framed his request for Netanyahu’s pardon as something his Israeli counterpart deserved for working with the White House to reach the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, saying: “Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all.”
He and his wife Sara are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods including cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors. He is also accused of attempting to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in two other cases.
Evan Vucci/AP
The statement from Herzog’s office said the Israeli president holds Mr. 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.
Mr. Trump has long accused his political opponents of using the Justice Department to target him during his time out of office, and since he returned to the White House, the department, now run by his appointees, has pushed for Biden-era justice officials to be prosecuted over an FBI investigation into the fallout of the 2020 election.
In September, he pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. Comey and James have since been indicted on criminal charges.
