Donald Trump has sent a letter to the Israeli president urging him to “fully pardon” Benjamin Netanyahu in his long-running corruption trial.
The US president told Isaac Herzog his prime minister had “stood tall for Israel in the face of strong adversaries” and Mr Netanyahu’s “attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted”.
Mr Netanyahu’s trial, which began in 2020, has not yet concluded. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He was indicted in 2019 in three cases, including allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels (£166,500) in gifts from business representatives.
In the letter, Mr Trump wrote that he “absolutely respects the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements”.
But he added that he believed “this ‘case’ against Bibi” – a nickname for Mr Netanayhu – “who was fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution.”
He said Mr Netanyahu was “now leading Israel into a time of peace” and it was time to let him “unite Israel by pardoning him”.
In response, Mr Herzog’s office said anyone seeking a presidential pardon “must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures”.
In the letter, they said: “President Herzog holds President Trump in the highest regard and continues to express his deep appreciation for President Trump’s unwavering support for Israel, his tremendous contribution to the return of the hostages, to reshaping the situation in the Middle East and Gaza especially, and to ensuring the security of the State of Israel.
“Alongside and not withstanding this, as the Office of the President has made clear throughout, anyone seeking a Presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.”
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Mr Trump also called on Mr Herzog to pardon the prime minister when the American president addressed the parliament during a visit to Israel last month.
Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Mr Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances.
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Earlier this week, Mr Trump’s son-in-law met Mr Netanyahu to discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire.
Jared Kushner met the prime minister in Jerusalem on Monday, according to an Israeli government official.
