President Trump is demanding that his Israeli counterpart immediately pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his years-long corruption trial so he can focus on the Iran war.
Trump slammed Israeli President Isaac Herzog as a “disgrace” for failing to follow his previous calls to pardon Netanyahu, whose trial has been ongoing since 2020.
“Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f—king court case,” the president told Axios.
“I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran.”
The president claimed Herzog promised to pardon Netanyahu five times over the last year, with Trump demanding the pardon go through “right now.”
Herzog’s office said in a statement that it was not dealing with the issue of Netanyahu’s pardon at a time of war.
“After the process is completed, the president will examine the request according to the law, the good of the country, and according to his conscience, without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” his office said.
“Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.”
Trump has been calling for Netanyahu’s pardon since June 2025, with the president likening the premier’s trial to a “witch hunt,” a term he’s used before for his own legal woes.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the United States’ airstrikes on Iran:
Netanyahu is on trial over three corruption cases, including allegations that he and his wife, Sara, received bribes in the form of expensive gifts from Hollywood media mogul Aron Milchan.
The prime minister is also accused of engaging in a quid pro quo agreement with an Israeli publisher, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, where Netanyahu allegedly received positive media coverage in exchange for legislation to weaken the outlet’s rival.
The third case involves allegations that Netanyahu authorized regulatory decisions to benefit the Bezeq telecommunications giant shareholder Shaul Elovitch in exchange for more positive media coverage from the Walla news site, which the telecom mogul owned.
Netanyahu has denied the allegations and refused to express any remorse, two key conditions for receiving a pardon under Israeli law.
His trial has been repeatedly stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Gaza and Lebanon, and most recently by the conflict with Tehran.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
