‘Give Him a Pardon!’ Trump Calls for Netanyahu to Be Pardoned — Knesset Cheers

President Donald Trump called on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in his speech to the Knesset in Israel on Monday.

The president spoke to the Israeli parliament hours after the release of the 20 remaining hostages held by Hamas — who were freed as part of the ceasefire deal spearheaded by Trump.

The American President, who was greeted with a 3-minute standing ovation upon entering the chamber, spoke at length about the ceasefire deal and his country’s relationship with Israel.

In one especially notable moment, Trump called for the Israeli Prime Minster to be pardoned.

“This man is a good man right here. These two men are good men right here,” said Trump, pointing at Herzog and Netanyahu. “Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon?”

The Knesset erupted in cheers as lawmakers rose to their feet to applaud the Prime Minister. President Herzog likewise rose to applaud Netanyahu.

“By the way, that was not in the speech as you probably know,” said Trump after the cheering died down. “But I happen to like this gentleman over here and it just seems to make so much sense.”

He continued, “You know, whether we like it or not this has been one of the greatest war-time presidents. This has been one of the greatest war time presidents. And cigars and champagne– who the hell cares about that?”

More applause came from the chamber as the president joked about his remark.

“Alright, enough controversy for the day, right? Actually I don’t think it’s very controversial, so you know I see– so popular. You’re a very popular man. You know why? Because you know how to win.”

The crowned began to chant for the Prime Minister, yelling “Bibi! Bibi!” as Netanyahu nodded to the crowd.

The Israeli Prime Minister was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery and fraud in connection with payments made to media outlets in exchange for positive coverage. Netanyahu is currently on trial for similar alleged crimes, facing three different accusations of quid pro quos. President Trump has spoken out against the trails repeatedly, even threatening to withhold aid to Israel if charges against Netanyahu weren’t dropped.

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