Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu, sparking concerns over US influence

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sent a letter to Israels president asking him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a longrunning corruption trial that has bitterly divided the countryIt was the latest attempt by Trump to intervene in the case on behalf of Netanyahu raising questions about undue American influence over internal Israeli affairs Trump also called for a pardon for Netanyahu during a speech to Israels parliament last month when he made a brief visit to promote his ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza In Wednesdays letter to President Isaac Herzog Trump called the corruption case political unjustified prosecutionAs the Great State of Israel and the amazing Jewish People move past the terribly difficult times of the last three years I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister and is now leading Israel into a time of peace Trump wrote Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial after being charged with fraud breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supportersNetanyahu rejects the allegations and in Trumplike language has condemned the case as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media police and judiciary In a post on X late Thursday Netanyahu expressed gratitude toward Trump though it wasnt explicitly tied to the pardon request Thank you President Trump for your incredible support As usual you get right to the point and call it like it is he wrote I look forward to continuing our partnership to bolster security and expand peaceNetanyahu has taken the stand multiple times over the past year but the case has been repeatedly delayed as he has dealt with wars and unrest stemming from Hamasled militant attacks of October 2023 Israels presidency is a largely ceremonial office but the president does have the authority to grant pardonsHerzog acknowledged receiving the letter but said that anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request Herzog has declined to say how he would respond to a request by Netanyahu saying publicly only that he believes the trial has been a distraction and source of division for the country and that he would prefer to see Netanyahu and the prosecution reach a settlement When Trump called for a pardon in his speech last month he received a raucous standing ovation from Netanyahus allies in parliamentBut it has also raised questions about American influence over Israeli policies especially relating to security in the Gaza Strip Those concerns came to a head during a series of visits from senior American leaders from Vice President JD Vance to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Israeli media called the visits Bibisitting a word play on Netanyahus nickname saying the officials were coming to ensure that Israel continues to hold up its side of the fragile ceasefire Both Netanyahu and Vance rejected the suggestions and say the countries have a tight partnershipOpposition Yair Lapid noted that the pardon could have unintended consequences for Netanyahu Reminder Israeli law stipulates that the first condition for receiving a pardon is an admission of guilt and an expression of remorse for those actions he wrote on XAccording to Israeli law a presidential pardon can only happen for Netanyahu if Netanyahu makes a formal request which sets in motion a long procedure that includes recommendations from the Justice Ministry said Amir Fuchs a senior researcher at the Jerusalembased think tank Israel Democracy Institute and an expert in constitutional lawFuchs added that pardons are usually issued for people who are convicted of a crime Pardon is a word for forgiveness a pardon without some kind of admission of guilt is very unusual and even illegal said Fuchs He also said that if a pardon were granted after the Trump letter it risked giving a green light to corruption The message will be undermining of rule of law he saidIn June Trump also condemned Netanyahus trial as a WITCH HUNT using the same language that both he and Netanyahu have long used to describe their legal woes Both contend they are the victims of hostile media crooked law enforcement and political opponentsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever