Overview
- Herzog’s office published President Trump’s letter calling for a full pardon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praising his leadership and recent diplomatic gains.
- The letter frames the corruption cases as a “political, unjustified prosecution” and links a pardon to Israeli unity and continued regional diplomacy, including expansion of the Abraham Accords.
- Herzog’s office acknowledged Trump’s support for Israel but emphasized that pardon requests must follow established procedures, and no petition from Netanyahu has been filed.
- Israeli practice generally requires that pardon petitions come from the defendant or a family member, with recent cases involving admissions of guilt and Ministry of Justice input.
- Reactions in Israel split along political lines, with far-right allies urging a pardon and opposition figures citing the legal requirement to admit wrongdoing, as Netanyahu continues to stand trial on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges.