U.S. President Donald Trump has formally escalated his campaign to end the long-running corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sending a direct letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday urging him to issue a pardon. The move intensifies both political and diplomatic pressure on Israel’s independent judicial system as Netanyahu’s trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery enters its sixth year.
The letter has reignited debate over the prime minister's legal saga, with several potential outcomes now in sharp focus. According to an analysis by Rina Bassist for Al Monitor, four primary scenarios have emerged: an acquittal that would politically strengthen Netanyahu; a conviction that could bar him from office; a plea deal contingent on him leaving politics; or a presidential pardon, which remains legally and politically contentious. President Herzog’s office responded coolly, stating that “anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures,” a process that typically requires the offender to admit to the crimes and ask for forgiveness.
In the letter made public Wednesday, Trump praised Netanyahu as a “formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister” and argued the case against him was a “political, unjustified prosecution.” He urged Herzog to “let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all.” This follows several previous public calls from Trump, including during an address to the Israeli Knesset in October, where he referred to the trial as a “witch hunt.”
Netanyahu’s trial, which began in May 2020, centers on three separate cases. He is accused of improperly accepting gifts like cigars and champagne from wealthy businessmen (File 1000) and attempting to broker a deal for more positive coverage from a major newspaper (File 2000). The most serious case (File 4000) alleges he provided regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a telecommunications mogul in exchange for favorable coverage from a news site he owned. The prime minister has consistently denied all wrongdoing.
The pardon campaign is not limited to Washington. Netanyahu’s political allies within his Likud party have repeatedly called on President Herzog to end the trial, arguing the premier is a victim of political persecution. Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman sent her own letter to Herzog advocating for a pardon, which was co-signed by other coalition members. While a presidential pardon has the power to end the legal proceedings, the authority to do so mid-trial is legally ambiguous and would undoubtedly trigger fierce public backlash and legal challenges before Israel’s Supreme Court.
Photo: Gemini AI