Trump Calls for Netanyahu Pardon in Knesset Speech

13 Oct, 2025

By Eli Sachs

President Donald Trump made an unprecedented intervention in Israel's domestic judicial system on Monday, urging Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an address to the Knesset. The off-script moment came as Trump spoke to Israeli lawmakers hours after Hamas released the final 20 living hostages under the recently brokered Gaza peace deal.

"I have an idea Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon?" Trump said from the parliamentary podium, referring to Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial. The president dismissed the charges against Netanyahu, which include allegations of accepting more than $200,000 in gifts such as cigars and champagne, saying "who the hell cares about this?"​

The suggestion represents Trump's most direct involvement yet in Netanyahu's legal troubles, though he has previously called for the cancellation of the trial. In June, after a 12-day conflict with Iran, Trump published several posts on Truth Social comparing Netanyahu's charges to the legal cases Trump himself has faced.​

Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate but related cases. In Case 1000, prosecutors allege he accepted approximately $195,000 worth of cigars and champagne from wealthy businessmen, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer, along with jewelry for his wife Sara valued at $3,100.​

The most serious charges come in Case 4000, where Netanyahu is accused of granting regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to telecommunications company Bezeq in exchange for favorable media coverage from a news site controlled by the company's former chairman. The trial has stretched over four years, with delays attributed in part to Netanyahu's legal tactics and the demands of managing Israel's ongoing conflicts.​

Trump's endorsement came as he praised Netanyahu's wartime leadership over the past two years, telling the prime minister "you are very popular because you know how to win". However, polling data contradicts this assessment—majorities in recent surveys have indicated they want Netanyahu to step down for his role in the security failures that enabled the October 7, 2023 attacks. The recent Gaza ceasefire deal and hostage releases have provided Netanyahu with a modest polling boost.​

Legal experts in Israel have expressed skepticism about the feasibility of a presidential pardon at this stage. While Israeli presidents hold the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances, there has been only one prominent case of a preemptive pardon—issued in 1986—and its applicability as precedent is disputed. "That was a very unusual case," noted Suzie Navot, a constitutional law scholar and vice president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute.​

Trump's speech suggests he may endorse Netanyahu in Israel's next election, which is expected to take place within the coming year. This represents a restoration of the close relationship between the two leaders, which had soured after Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden on his 2020 election victory while Trump was still disputing the results.​

"The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with," Trump said in 2021 interviews. "Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake."​

The relationship has since been repaired, with Trump leveraging his influence to broker the recent Gaza peace deal that has earned him widespread praise in Israel. Netanyahu has described Trump's recent support as "deeply moved" and "incredible," though Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has criticized Trump's comments as interference in "a legal process in an independent country".​

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