Donald Trump has sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the corruption charges against him a case of “political persecution.”
The letter, released by the president’s office on Wednesday morning, marks Trump’s first formal step on the issue. He has previously intervened in Israel’s judicial system and domestic politics amid the ongoing trial of Netanyahu. In the message, Trump wrote that after the war in Gaza ends, he intends to work with key regional leaders to expand the Abraham Accords. He added that Netanyahu’s “attention should not be unduly distracted” by the court proceedings.
“I have absolute respect for the independence of Israel’s judiciary and its requirements,” Trump wrote, “but I believe this ‘case’ against Bibi—who has fought alongside me for years, including against such a formidable opponent of Israel as Iran—is a political and unfounded persecution. It is time to let Bibi unite Israel by granting him a pardon.”
Israeli law does allow the president to pardon nearly any defendant or convicted person, but Supreme Court rulings and other legal provisions limit that authority. Under procedure, only the defendant or a family member may request a pardon, and in most cases the Ministry of Justice must review and endorse the request. Typically, those seeking a pardon admit guilt and accept responsibility for their actions.
In a response statement, the Israeli president’s office said that Herzog “deeply appreciates President Trump” and his support for Israel, his role in freeing hostages, transforming the Middle East, and ensuring the country’s security. However, the administration emphasized that “anyone seeking a pardon must submit a request through the proper legal procedure.”
Netanyahu is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases. He is accused of accepting gifts worth more than $200,000 from wealthy businessmen and of granting a telecommunications tycoon regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for favorable media coverage. The trial has been ongoing for four years, prolonged by numerous defense motions. A former head of Israel’s internal security service has accused the prime minister of using his office to obstruct the case.
According to Trump, Netanyahu himself asked him to appeal to President Herzog for a pardon. Three of Trump’s advisers told Axios that the president sees parallels between Netanyahu’s situation and his own criminal cases. “He believes it’s the same kind of injustice and intends to keep intervening,” one of them said.
Earlier, in an interview with CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” Trump said he intended to “help” Netanyahu in his trial. During an October address to the Knesset, he went off script and called on Herzog to “pardon Bibi.” “Cigars and champagne—who even cares about that?” he said, referring to the charges related to gifts. Over the summer, Trump also urged that Netanyahu’s trial be canceled in a series of Truth Social posts.