The leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, said that Israeli Law establishes that the first condition for receiving a pardon is the admission of guilt and the expression of regret.
Mexico City, November 12 (However).- The President of the United States (EU), Donald Trumpsent a letter this Wednesday to his counterpart Israeli, Isaac Herzogwho was asked to consider the possibility of pardoning the Prime minister of the country, Benjamin Netanyahudespite the legal cases opened against him for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
“I hereby ask you to completely forgive Benjamin Netanyahuwho has been a Prime minister formidable and decisive during the war, and which is now guiding Israel towards an era of peace,” says the letter from Trumpspread by Cabinet of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog.
“President Herzog holds President Trump in very high esteem and wants to express again his unwavering support for Israel, his tremendous contribution to achieving the return of the hostages and reconfiguring the situation in the Middle East and, especially in Gaza,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office responded in a statement.
Likewise, he highlighted his contribution to the “security of the State of Israel”, but clarified that, “without prejudice to the above, any person requesting a presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with existing procedures.”
Writing a formal letter to pardon @netanyahu for corruption after he killed 100s of thousands in a documented genocide in 4k is one of the biggest Trump blunders I’ve seen alongside the Epstein file debacle… pic.twitter.com/UkcG4COR0S
— Myron Gaines (@MyronGainesX) November 12, 2025
Trump had already asked Herzog for Netanyahu’s pardon during his speech in the Israeli Parliament on October 13, within the framework of the visit he made to Israel after the Israeli government and the Islamist group Hamas accepted his peace plan.
“Why don’t you grant a pardon to Netanyahu?” Trump asked Herzog then before parliamentarians.
For his part, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said today that Netanyahu should “admit guilt” and express regret as a precondition to any pardon.
“Reminder: Israeli Law establishes that the first condition for receiving a pardon is the admission of guilt and the expression of regret for the actions committed,” Lapid noted in X.
Netanyahu has 3 open court cases
Reminder: Israeli law states that the first condition for receiving amnesty is an admission of guilt and an expression of remorse for the actions
— Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) November 12, 2025
Netanyahu, who has not yet been convicted, has three open court cases: cases one thousand and two thousand, for fraud and breach of trust, and case four thousand, considered the most serious and which revolves around an alleged bribery agreement between Netanyahu and businessman Shaul Elovich, who controlled the telecommunications company Bezeq and the website Walla Newsand who benefited financially in exchange for favorable coverage.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli judicial system and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against ‘Bibi’ is unjustified political persecution,” the US president stated in his letter to Herzog.
Netanyahu insists on “witch hunt” and “deep state” plot
The Israeli Prime Minister was scheduled to testify on Tuesday, as announced by the court investigating the case on its website, according to the weekly trial agenda, which requires the president’s appearance three times a week.
There are many times that the president has requested the postponement of the process since its beginning in 2024. On most occasions, he has relied on the military offensive of his troops against the Gaza Strip – now under a theoretical ceasefire – to justify his absences.
Netanyahu, who claims that the trial against him is a “witch hunt” and a “deep state” plot, is the first head of government in Israel’s history to be prosecuted while in office.
-With information from Europa Press and DW