Trump Suggests Pardon for Netanyahu Amid Corruption Trial

President Trump made an unexpected suggestion while addressing a grateful Israeli Parliament on Monday: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently on trial for corruption, should be pardoned. "Hey, I have an idea," Mr. Trump said to the holder of Israel's largely ceremonial presidency, Isaac Herzog. "Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon?" This comes as Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 for charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate but related cases. Legal experts in Israel questioned whether Netanyahu could actually be pardoned at this stage in his trial, citing a 1986 precedent as uncertain.

Key Takeaways:

• Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 for corruption, including receiving luxury gifts, disrupting investigative and judicial proceedings, and demanding fawning coverage by news outlets.
• Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, has the power to pardon Netanyahu, but a 1986 precedent, Barzilai v. Government of Israel, is uncertain and may not apply to a typical criminal case like Netanyahu's.
• Suzie Navot, a constitutional law expert, believes a pardon at this stage could be seen as undermining the concept that "all men are equal before the law."
• Netanyahu's case is different from the 1986 precedent, as his charges are related to his conduct, not national security.
• Trump has likened the criminal charges against Netanyahu to those he himself has faced in the United States, dismissing both as political witch hunts.
• Trump wields significant influence in Israel, particularly now that he has helped to broker a cease-fire that secured the release of hostages in Gaza.

Statistics:

• 2020: The year Netanyahu's corruption trial began.
• 1986: The year of the precedent case, Barzilai v. Government of Israel, where Israel's president issued a pre-indictment pardon for the head of Shin Bet and several assistants.
• 1984: The year of the bus hijacking that prompted the scandal and cover-up.
• 2010: The year an Israeli court convicted a former president, Moshe Katsav, on rape charges.
• 2021: The year Trump posted on social media that the trial would get in the way of negotiations over ending the war with Hamas.
• December 2024: The month and year Netanyahu finally took the stand in his trial.

Sources:

• "Trump Suggests Pardon for Netanyahu Amid Corruption Trial" in The New York Times.
• Suzie Navot, a constitutional law expert and vice president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute.