Trump pressures Israeli president for Netanyahu pardon as corruption trial resumes
- Netanyahu seeks a presidential pardon to avoid his corruption trial.
- He argues the ongoing wars make his legal case a national security risk.
- The prime minister asked Donald Trump to pressure Israel’s president for the pardon.
- This move has sparked intense public debate and protests within Israel.
- Critics accuse Netanyahu of using wartime leadership as a shield for personal accountability.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is actively lobbying for a presidential pardon to escape his ongoing corruption trial, even seeking additional support from U.S. President Donald Trump to secure it. This week, as Netanyahu’s long-delayed trial resumed in Tel Aviv, the prime minister’s focus appeared not on his day in court but on a behind-the-scenes campaign to avoid it altogether, citing his need to lead Israel’s military operations. The timing raises critical questions about whether prolonging conflict has become a strategic tool for personal political survival.
Netanyahu’s formal pardon petition, a 111-page document submitted to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, argues that the prime minister must be freed from the legal process to effectively manage Israel’s wars in Gaza and on other fronts. This request represents a dramatic reversal for a leader who long insisted the charges would collapse and he would be vindicated. He now claims the “public interest dictates” a pardon, despite offering no admission of guilt. Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the move, stating, “You cannot grant Netanyahu a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and an immediate withdrawal from political life.”
The plot thickened with the revelation of a Monday phone call between Netanyahu and Donald Trump, detailed in an Axios report. According to sources, Netanyahu pleaded for “more support” from Trump to pressure Herzog for the pardon. This follows a formal letter Trump sent last month urging Herzog to issue a “full pardon” for Netanyahu, whom he called a “formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister.” Trump reportedly told Netanyahu he believed the pardon “will work out,” but a U.S. official indicated the president felt he had “done all he can do.”
A wartime shield for corruption charges
Critics see Netanyahu’s pivot to a pardon request as a transparent attempt to use wartime leadership as a shield against accountability. The corruption trial, which began in 2020, was paused for around two years following the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. Its resumption now poses a direct threat to Netanyahu’s political future. By tying his legal fate to his role as a wartime leader, he frames any legal proceeding as a national security liability. Far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir backed this, calling a pardon “critical for the security of the state.”
This strategy aligns with a broader pattern observed for years. As detailed in extensive reporting on Israel’s political trajectory, Netanyahu is a fervent believer in indefinite occupation and has long sold Israel’s model of militarized ethnonationalism. His legal battles have consistently dovetailed with his political messaging, portraying himself as an indispensable leader under siege from left-wing institutions and the courts. The pardon request amplifies this narrative, positioning him above the judicial system.
The American pressure campaign
The involvement of Donald Trump adds a layer of international political pressure to a domestic legal process. Trump’s description of Netanyahu’s prosecution as “political” and “unjustified” provides the prime minister with powerful external validation. This alliance is mutually beneficial; Netanyahu has been one of Trump’s most vocal international supporters, while Trump views Israel’s model of strong borders and defiance of international bodies as admirable.
During the same phone call, the conversation reportedly extended beyond the pardon. Trump advised Netanyahu to be “a better partner” on Syria and to “take it easy” following Israeli strikes that killed 13 people. This gentle chiding highlights the complex dynamic where the U.S. provides unwavering support but occasionally seeks to curb the most aggressive actions.
The push for a pardon has ignited fierce debate within Israel. A recent poll shows a nearly even split among the public, with 48% opposing an unconditional pardon. Demonstrators outside the courthouse this week wore prison jumpsuits, signaling deep public anger. Legal experts note that pardons in Israel are traditionally granted post-conviction as an act of mercy. Dana Blander of the Israel Democracy Institute warned that a pre-conviction pardon “risks turning the President into an authority that bypasses the law-enforcement and judicial system.”
Ultimately, Netanyahu’s maneuver is a high-stakes gamble that places his personal legal interests at the center of national security policy. In seeking a pardon to continue waging war, Netanyahu has made it clear that his political survival and his military strategy are now one and the same, a fusion with profound consequences for both Israeli democracy and the people living under its control.
Sources for this article include:
TheCradle.co
CNN.com
Reuters.com
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