(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump has sent a letter to the Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to “fully pardon” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption case, a strong show of support for the Israeli leader, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in war crimes in Gaza.
“As 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, which includes my continued work with key Middle East leaders to add many additional countries to the world changing Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote to Herzog (the full letter is at the end of the article).
While Trump is portraying Netanyahu now as a “peace-time” leader, Israel has been conducting regular attacks in Gaza despite the US-brokered ceasefire deal, and has also continued bombing southern Lebanon, while in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jewish settlers have been on a rampage, and the IDF has stepped up raids.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution,” Trump said.
Trump concluded the letter by saying it was “let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all.” He has previously called for Netanyahu to be pardoned in a post on Truth Social and during a speech at the Israeli Knesset.
In response to Trump’s request, Herzog did not take a position on the matter, and his office said in a statement that anyone seeking a pardon must go through the proper channels.
“The president holds great respect for President Trump and repeatedly expresses his appreciation for Trump’s unwavering support of Israel and his tremendous contribution to the return of the hostages, the reshaping of the Middle East and Gaza, and the safeguarding of Israel’s security,” Herzog’s office said.
“Without detracting from the above, as the president has made clear on multiple occasions, anyone seeking a pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures,” the statement added.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
