JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sent a letter to Israel’s president asking him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a long-running corruption trial that has bitterly divided the country.
It was the latest attempt by Trump to intervene in the case on behalf of Netanyahu, raising questions about undue American influence over internal Israeli affairs. Trump also called for a pardon for Netanyahu during a speech to Israel’s parliament last month, when he made a brief visit to promote his ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza.
In Wednesday’s letter to President Isaac Herzog, Trump called the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution.”
“As the Great State of Israel and the amazing Jewish People move past the terribly difficult times of the last three years, I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace,” Trump wrote.
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.
Netanyahu rejects the allegations, and in Trump-like language has condemned the case as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media, police and judiciary.
In a post on X late Thursday, Netanyahu expressed gratitude toward Trump, though it wasn’t explicitly tied to the pardon request.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your incredible support. As usual, you get right to the point and call it like it is,” he wrote. “I look forward to continuing our partnership to bolster security and expand peace.”
Netanyahu has taken the stand multiple times over the past year, but the case has been repeatedly delayed as he has dealt with wars and unrest stemming from Hamas-led militant attacks of October 2023.
Israel’s presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the president does have the authority to grant pardons.
Herzog acknowledged receiving the letter, but said that anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request. Herzog has declined to say how he would respond to a request by Netanyahu, saying publicly only that he believes the trial has been a distraction and source of division for the country and that he would prefer to see Netanyahu and the prosecution reach a settlement.
When Trump called for a pardon in his speech last month, he received a raucous standing ovation from Netanyahu’s allies in parliament.
Opposition Yair Lapid noted that the pardon could have unintended consequences for Netanyahu. “Reminder: Israeli law stipulates that the first condition for receiving a pardon is an admission of guilt and an expression of remorse for those actions,” he wrote on X.
According to Israeli law, a presidential pardon can only happen for Netanyahu if Netanyahu makes a formal request, which sets in motion a long procedure that includes recommendations from the Justice Ministry, said Amir Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem-based think tank Israel Democracy Institute and an expert in constitutional law.
Fuchs added that pardons are usually issued for people who are convicted of a crime. “Pardon is a word for forgiveness, a pardon without some kind of admission of guilt is very unusual and even illegal,” said Fuchs.
Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu
https://arab.news/6jntv
Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu
- In Wednesday’s letter to President Isaac Herzog, Trump called the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution”
- Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial
Israel spied on US forces at Gaza aid base: Sources
- US commander summoned Israeli counterpart to say: ‘Recording has to stop here’
- Staff, visitors from other partner countries have also raised concerns about Israeli surveillance
LONDON: Israel conducted widespread surveillance of US forces involved in an aid mechanism for Gaza, The Guardian reported.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel was launched in October as a joint body to monitor the ceasefire and oversee the entry of aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
But sources with knowledge of internal disputes told The Guardian that open and covert recordings of meetings at the CMCC had prompted disputes between the two partners.
Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, the US commander of the center, summoned his Israeli counterpart to explain that “recording has to stop here.”
Other countries, including the UK and UAE, are also involved in the CMCC. Staff and visitors from partner countries have likewise raised concerns about Israeli surveillance activities at the center.
When the CMCC began operations, media in the US and Israel reported that the latter was handing over authority to American forces.
Yet Israel still retains effective control over what enters the territory despite Washington’s considerable leverage, according to one US official.
US forces who arrived at the CMCC, including logistics experts, were keen to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.
But they soon discovered that Israel had implemented a wide range of controls on purported “dual-use” goods, creating a larger impediment than any engineering challenge relating to aid delivery. These included basic goods such as tent poles and chemicals used for water purification.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel has said he was briefed at the center on “one of the dual-use barriers that was being lifted as a result of the conversations (there).”
It came in response to growing awareness that Israeli restrictions on deliveries stood as the biggest barrier to the entry of aid into Gaza.
Israeli authorities had also restricted basic items such as pencils and paper — required by Palestinian students for school — without explanation.
There is widespread hesitancy among aid organizations and diplomats over joining the CMCC’s efforts, despite being invited to do so.
The center lacks any Palestinian representation, and even US efforts to schedule video calls with Palestinian officials were vetoed by Israeli staff there.
