US President Donald Trump on Monday urged Israel’s parliament to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently facing three ongoing corruption trials.
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of receiving luxury gifts worth more than $260,000 — including cigars, champagne, and jewellery — from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favours.
“Cigars and champagne — who really cares about that?” Trump joked during his speech, describing Netanyahu as “one of Israel’s greatest wartime leaders.”
Addressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Trump added, “Hey, I have an idea, Mr President — why don’t you pardon him?” He then laughed, noting, “That wasn’t in my prepared remarks, but I happen to like this man right here,” gesturing toward Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations, insisting the charges are politically motivated. His supporters have also dismissed the cases as attempts to undermine his leadership.
Beyond the gifts case, Netanyahu is accused of trying to strike secret deals with media companies for favourable coverage in two additional cases.
Since returning to office in late 2022, the Israeli leader has pushed for sweeping judicial reforms, which critics argue were intended to weaken the courts. The move triggered months of mass protests, only halted by the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Netanyahu is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued a warrant for his arrest on allegations of war crimes tied to Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza.
Although Trump did not mention the ICC warrant in his speech, the US government has publicly condemned it and sanctioned ICC officials.
Earlier in June, Trump compared Netanyahu’s legal battles to his own, calling them “political witch hunts” on his Truth Social platform. He has repeatedly accused his political rivals of using the US Justice Department to target him.