New Delhi: In an extraordinary move, US president Donald Trump has written to Israeli president Isaac Herzog, seeking a pardon for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is facing multiple charges of corruption and fraud.

It is unprecedented for a foreign president to write to the president of another sovereign country to seek a pardon for a leader of that country.

Trump has been vocal in his support for Netanyahu, campaigning for his pardon through social media posts, and also brought this up during a speech at the Knesset last month.

Herzog whose office was the one to release Trump's letter, has, according to The Times of Israel, thus far demurred, pointing to the process of requesting a pardon, which requires the accused or members of their family to make the case for a pardon.

In the letter, Trump – who is himself a court-convicted felon in the US – says he is writing to the president at a “historic time, as we have, together, just secured peace that has been sought for at least 3,000 years”. It is likely that he meant the ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has led a genocide in the last two years, killing almost 70,000 people.

“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister and is now leading Israel into a time of peace, which includes my continued work with key Middle East leaders to add many additional countries to the world changing Abraham Accords," he wrote.

Trump said that at this time, Netanyahu's attention cannot be "unnecessarily divided."

“I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System,” Trump stressed and then said that Netanyahu was undergoing “political, unjustified prosecution.”

“Isaac, we have established a great relationship, one that I am very thankful for and honored by, and we agreed as soon as I was inaugurated in January that the focus had to be centered on finally bringing the hostages home and getting the peace agreement done,” Trump concluded. “Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all," he added.

In his response, Herzog, through the President's Residence, said that he holds "great respect for President Trump and repeatedly expresses his appreciation for Trump’s unwavering support of Israel" and his role in, among other things "reshaping of the Middle East and Gaza."

“Without detracting from the above, as the president has made clear on multiple occasions, anyone seeking a pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures,” Herzog's Residence said.

The Israeli president has the power to grant pardon in situations.

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “incredible support” with a post on X. “As usual, you get right to the point and call it like it is. I look forward to continuing our partnership to bolster security and expand peace," he wrote.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In another case, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate complimentary coverage from two Israeli media outlets.

Trial against Netanyahu began in 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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