US President Donald Trump has renewed his “pressure campaign” on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump told Axios on Wednesday that Netanyahu had raised his corruption trial when they spoke Tuesday night and told him he’d be back in court on Wednesday, instead of focusing on Iran. “In the middle of a war? Give me a break,” Trump said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a court session in his corruption trial on Wednesday to hold security consultations related to an aid flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip.
Before the trial session began in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu asked to shorten Wednesday’s hearing to three hours, but judges rejected the request. He then asked to leave the courtroom for one hour to hold security consultations at the Defense Ministry and then return later, which the judges approved.
Netanyahu faces charges of corruption, bribery and breach of trust in three cases that could lead to imprisonment if convicted. An indictment was filed by the attorney general in November 2019.
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After repeatedly attacking Herzog over the course of several months, Trump took a softer approach, saying that Herzog “will be a national hero if he gives Bibi a pardon. I will very much appreciate it.”
He said Netanyahu’s trial makes Israel “look bad” and dismissed the charges as “wine and cigars.”
“Bibi is a wartime prime minister. He can’t have this hanging over his head,” Trump said.
Trump has been advocating for a pardon for Netanyahu since last June, claiming the corruption trial against him is a “witch hunt” similar to the legal challenges he has faced in the US.
Israel is set to hold elections in October, and if Netanyahu is defeated, his chances of going to prison could rise sharply.
Netanyahu has neither acknowledged any misconduct nor shown remorse — both of which are essential requirements for a pardon under Israeli law.
In an earlier interview with Axios in March, Trump called Herzog “a disgrace” for not giving Netanyahu a pardon. In another interview, he called him “weak and pathetic.”
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