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
Syria’s growth accelerates as sanctions ease, refugees return
- Economy grows much faster than World Bank’s 1% estimate, fueling plans for currency’s relaunch
NEW YORK: Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1 percent estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh has said.
Speaking via video link at a conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.
The Syrian central bank chief, who is helping guide the war-torn country’s reintegration into the global economy after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime about a year ago, described the repeal of many US sanctions against Syria as “a miracle.”
The US Treasury on Nov. 10 announced a 180-day extension of the suspension of the so-called Caesar sanctions against Syria; lifting them entirely requires approval by the US Congress.
Husrieh said that based on discussions with US lawmakers, he expects the sanctions to be repealed by the end of 2025, ending “the last episode of the sanctions.”
“Once this happens, this will give comfort to our potential correspondent banks about dealing with Syria,” he said.
Husrieh also said that Syria was working to revamp regulations aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which he said would provide further assurances to international lenders.
Syria’s central bank has recently organized workshops with banks from the US, Turkiye, Jordan and Australia to discuss due diligence in reviewing transactions, he added.
Husrieh said that Syria is preparing to launch a new currency in eight note denominations and confirmed plans to remove two zeroes from them in a bid to restore confidence in the battered pound.
“The new currency will be a signal and symbol for this financial liberation,” Husrieh said. “We are glad that we are working with Visa and Mastercard,” Husrieh said.
