Marrakech – US President Donald Trump has formally requested Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial.
This reprehensible attempt to protect a polarizing figure that the International Criminal Court (ICC) considers a war criminal comes just weeks after a temporary pause in Netanyahu’s brutal campaign of extermination in Gaza and days after Turkey issued arrest warrants against the extremist leader for genocide.
In a letter distributed by Herzog’s office on Wednesday, Trump described Netanyahu’s corruption case as a “political, unjustified prosecution” and praised the far-right warmonger as a “formidable and decisive wartime prime minister.”
Trump brazenly claimed Netanyahu is “now leading Israel into a time of peace” – a grotesque mischaracterization of the oppressive regime’s continued strangulation of Palestinians.
This marks Trump’s latest shameful attempt to intervene in Israel’s domestic judicial affairs on behalf of his ultranationalist ally. During his October visit to Israel, Trump publicly urged Herzog to pardon the corrupt prime minister in an address to the Israeli parliament.
Netanyahu governs with impunity under judicial paralysis
The architect of Gaza’s destruction, Netanyahu, faces charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three separate cases. He was indicted in 2019 for allegedly receiving nearly ILS 700,000 ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen.
The trial began in May 2020 but has faced numerous delays, as he was manipulating Israel’s judicial system to evade accountability for his corrupt practices while continuing his campaign of ethnic cleansing.
His deliberate prolonging of peace deals and hostage releases, despite multiple reported acceptances from Hamas in the past, was, as many observers argue, less about the fate of the held Israelis or the welfare of the “nation,” and more about self-preservation – for once the war ends, the trial inevitably resurfaces, a reality that also sheds light on Trump’s calculated involvement.
Despite Herzog having pardoning power, his office noted that “anyone seeking a pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.” A presidential pardon cannot be issued until a verdict is reached in the ongoing trial – a technicality that barely matters as Netanyahu continues to rule with impunity.
Trump’s outrageous intervention has sparked conflicting reactions across Israel’s political spectrum. Extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Herzog to “listen to President Trump,” while Opposition Leader Yair Lapid pointed out that “Israeli law clearly stipulates that the first condition for a presidential pardon is admitting guilt and expressing remorse” – something the unrepentant Netanyahu would never do.
Justice sleeps while Gaza drowns in blood
The request comes amid growing international recognition of Netanyahu’s war crimes. Last Friday, Turkey issued arrest warrants for the Israeli PM and 36 other officials, rightfully accusing them of “genocide and crimes against humanity” in Gaza.
The Turkish prosecutor’s statement cited specific atrocities, including the October 17, 2023 bombing of al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that claimed 500 innocent lives.
Israel’s savage war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, and wounded 170,679 others. UN investigators have accurately described the deliberate mass slaughter as genocide, yet Netanyahu continues to enjoy protection from his Western allies.
This is not Trump’s first attempt to shield authoritarian leaders from prosecution. He previously defended former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has since been convicted of plotting a coup.
He also spoke out in support of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after she was barred from political office for embezzling EU funds – establishing a pattern of supporting despots worldwide.
Trump’s letter to the Israeli president falsely claimed he secured peace in the region for “at least 3,000 years” – a historically absurd statement given that the colonial settler state of Israel was established through violent displacement in 1948, and the Zionist movement to expropriate Palestinian land began in the late 1800s.
The US president’s growing support for right-wing extremists on the world stage includes recently bailing out Argentina’s economy under President Javier Milei with $40 billion.
His intervention in Netanyahu’s corruption case not only raises serious questions about American imperialist influence over Israeli affairs but also, as others have contended, the inverse – the overwhelming sway of the Israeli lobby within US political circles.
The move appears designed to reward the bloodthirsty prime minister for superficially agreeing to the recent Gaza ceasefire while continuing to deny humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians.
Netanyahu, the ultimate war criminal, remains free while Palestinians are buried in mass graves. Trump’s letter represents nothing less than international complicity in genocide, as the architects of mass murder continue to evade justice while Palestinians are denied their fundamental rights to life and self-determination.
Read also: ICC Rejects Israel’s Appeal Against Netanyahu, Gallant Arrest Warrants
