Support or Overstep? Trump's Call for a Netanyahu Pardon

Donald Trump has never been the kind of leader who tiptoes around sensitive issues. Anyone who has been following his presidency knows that subtlety is not his chosen instrument. He speaks directly, he speaks boldly, and he speaks from conviction. So when he sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it felt entirely in character. To President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is on trial for political corruption, is more than a political ally. He is a wartime leader guiding a nation under fire. Trump views the charges against Netanyahu as a distraction from the work of safeguarding Israel at a moment when security is everything.

There is something genuinely admirable in the President’s devotion. Few American leaders have matched the intensity of his public support for Israel. During his first four years in office, he delivered policies that many Israelis had waited decades to see. He moved the United States Embassy to Jerusalem. He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He pushed back on international bodies that often single Israel out unfairly. And of course he forged the Abraham Accords. These were not symbolic gestures. They reshaped the regional landscape. They reflected a worldview that sees Israel not as a diplomatic inconvenience but as a strategic and moral ally. 

Since the beginning of his second term, his support has been equally intense. He resumed the supply of weapons that the Biden Administration had put on the back burner. He put the finishing touches on Israel’s defeat of Iran by bombing the Fordow nuclear plant with the world’s largest penetrator bombs. He pushed through a cease fire in Gaza that freed all of the remaining hostages, both alive and dead, a deal that was almost certainly put together with the approval of both Netanyahu and Ron Dermer, the Minister for Strategic Affairs. 

That history gives weight to Trump’s words. When Trump defends Netanyahu, it is not coming from detached analysis. It is coming from a leader who believes he has walked alongside Israel during moments of real consequence. In Trump’s mind, a friend stands by a friend, especially in moments of pressure. And if that means speaking publicly, he is willing to do so. Trump does not believe in half-measures of loyalty.

Yet friendship, especially between nations and national leaders, contains layers that personal loyalty does not always account for. International support is something Israel values deeply, but support takes different shapes. There are many different kinds of support: military support, diplomatic support, economic support, and moral support. There is also the kind of support that comes from staying out of internal legal matters. That last category is less glamorous. It does not make headlines. But it is essential for any democratic country that wants to preserve the legitimacy of its own institutions.

Israel’s justice system is one of the pillars of its democracy. Israelis often take pride in the fact that a sitting prime minister can be investigated, indicted, and tried within the framework of the law. It is evidence of a system that is independent and committed to accountability. The courts are not above criticism, but their decisions must come from within Israel itself. They cannot be swayed by outside commentary, even friendly commentary, without risking the perception that justice is something negotiated instead of applied.

This is the challenge created by President Trump’s letter. It is not that he intends to interfere. It is not that he questions Israeli sovereignty. On the contrary, he has consistently spoken of Israel with respect and admiration. But public calls for a pardon, issued by the president of the world’s greatest superpower, inevitably brush up against sensitive boundaries. Even if Trump’s motives are rooted in loyalty, the effect can be interpreted differently. A pardon is not a diplomatic issue, it is a constitutional one. And Israel has a clear process for that sort of thing.

The timing also matters. In Israel, a pardon typically follows a conviction. It is usually sought by the individual concerned or by their family. Netanyahu has not requested a pardon. He has insisted that he wants the trial to proceed, because he believes he will be exonerated. Whether one agrees with him or not, that position reinforces a foundational democratic principle. Leaders do not place themselves above the law. They stand before it.

Trump’s intervention does not diminish the sincerity of his support. If anything, it highlights how deeply he cares about Israel’s political direction. Many Israelis appreciate that kind of passion, even when they might disagree with its application. But allies must sometimes exercise restraint for the sake of the very country they wish to help. When it comes to another nation’s legal system, a touch of humility is not weakness. It is respect.

President Trump’s loyalty to Netanyahu is heartfelt and rooted in years of cooperation. His instincts come from genuine concern for Israel’s stability. But Israel’s judiciary must be allowed to function without outside pressure or even the appearance of it. A slightly quieter approach from the President would strengthen both the independence of Israel’s legal system and the value of his friendship.

Good things,

Ari Sacher