Trump writes to Israeli president calling for Netanyahu pardon | Israel

Donald Trump has repeated a request to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases.

The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing court cases. No rulings have been delivered, and his supporters have dismissed the trials as politically motivated.

In a letter released by Herzog’s office on Wednesday, Trump says he is writing to the president 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 … While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System … I believe that this ’case’ against Bibi … is political, unjustified prosecution,” he writes.

Trump has already suggested a presidential pardon for Netanyahu in a series of social media posts and a speech to the Israeli parliament last month. Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances.

Netanyahu’s trials, which began in 2020, have not yet concluded, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 (£198,000) 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.

Herzog has previously rejected Trump’s requests for a pardon, and on Wednesday advised the US president to follow the usual processes.

A statement from Herzog’s office said he held Trump “in the highest regard” and expressed “his deep appreciations” for the US president’s 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 said.

On Tuesday, Israel’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, who has been a key liaison between Netanyahu and the White House since his appointment in 2022, announced his resignation.

One of the most influential members of the country’s rightwing government, Dermer is a close aide of Benjamin Netanyahu and led months of intense negotiations before the US-led Gaza ceasefire deal that came into effect last month.

Dermer’s departure follows weeks of speculation in Israeli media. Critics accuse the US-born 54-year-old of failing to bring the war in Gaza to an earlier end, with some saying he helped Netanyahu drag out the conflict to avoid potential imprisonment on corruption charges if ousted from office.

Since the ceasefire took effect in Gaza, Hamas has freed all 20 living hostages it was holding and returned the remains of 24 deceased captives.

Dermer, a former ambassador to Washington, played a key role in US-Israeli relations throughout the conflict. Netanyahu appointed him in February to lead the truce talks, despite him being little-known among Israelis.

The appointment as negotiator drew immediate criticism over his lack of military experience, his rare appearances on Hebrew-language media and what some describe as his limited understanding of the country’s language and culture.

Elections are due in Israel within a year, and some analysts predict early polls.

Yossi Mekelberg, an expert on Israel politics at London’s Chatham House, said the consequences of Dermer’s resignation would be limited. “Netanyahu is definitely losing an ally who he trusted and felt closer than most others in the cabinet. Dermer is someone he trusts, but lacks any political base in Israel,” he said.

In his resignation letter, Dermer, who was appointed in 2022, said he had promised his family he would not serve for longer than two years, and praised the Israeli prime minister’s singular leadership.

“This government will be defined both by the [Hamas] attack on October 7th [2023] and by the prosecution of the two-year … war that followed,” he wrote.

“We rejected moral equivocation and fear to confront our enemies with clarity and courage. Two years later, we have dealt a devastating blow to Iran’s terror axis and are now powerfully positioned to usher in an age of security, prosperity and peace.”

A majority of Israelis across the political spectrum support the establishment of a powerful state inquiry under a panel appointed by the supreme court president to determine responsibility for the failures that enabled Hamas to launch its 2023 incursion into southern Israel, during which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostage. Four bodies are yet to be returned.

The ensuing Israel offensive has killed nearly 69,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians.

Netanyahu rejected fresh opposition calls to establish such an inquiry on Monday, suggesting it would not have “broad-based support” and that another format would be better. Opposition politicians fear a government commission would have lesser powers and be easier to influence.

Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed reporting