The Israeli Prime Minister even got Trump to help him get out of the criminal charges….
Trump IS a convicted Felon….
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges, seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.
Netanyahu, who has been at war against Israel’s legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous change in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from opponents, who said a pardon would weaken democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he’s above the rule of law.
Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters. He hasn’t been convicted of anything….
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Trump’s request FOR Netanyahu
His request comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu, turning to President Isaac Herzog during his speech to Israel’s parliament last month. Earlier this month, Trump also sent a letter to Herzog calling the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution.”
Herzog is a former political rival of Netanyahu, but the men have a good working relationship. Later Sunday, Israeli media reported a small protest outside Herzog’s home, including a pile of bananas with a sign saying a pardon equals a banana republic….
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Netanyahu has taken the stand multiple times over the past year. But the case has been repeatedly delayed as he has dealt with wars and unrest stemming from the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu’s pardon request consisted of two documents: a detailed letter signed by his lawyer and a letter signed by Netanyahu. They’ll be sent to the Justice Ministry for opinions and will then be transferred to the legal adviser at the president’s office, which will formulate additional opinions for the president.
Legal experts say the pardon request isn’t able to stop the trial.
“It’s impossible,” said Emi Palmor, former director-general of the Justice Ministry.
“You cannot claim that you’re innocent while the trial is going on and come to the president and ask him to intervene,” she said. The only way to stop the trial is to ask the attorney general to withhold the proceedings, she said….
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Netanyahu’s request also sparked backlash on Sunday, with an immediate response from the opposition and advocacy groups urging the president not to give in to his request.
“You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said….
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Hamas commander killed trying to flee Rafah tunnel; slain IDF soldier’s rifle recovered…
The commander of Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion, his deputy, and two other terror operatives were confirmed by the military to have been killed early Sunday morning after attempting to flee a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
The operatives were spotted emerging from the tunnels in eastern Rafah, an IDF-held area where dozens of Hamas fighters were believed to be trapped underground.
According to the military, the four operatives were killed by troops and the Israeli Air Force.
In recent weeks, the IDF has reported killing over 30 terror operatives and capturing a further eight, after they tried to flee from the tunnels in Rafah. According to a prominent Hamas member in Gaza, the group estimates some 60 to 80 fighters are still holed up in the tunnels beneath the southern Gaza city…
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Israel has resisted giving the fighters unconditional free passage and has insisted that Hamas disarm, a key piece of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.
Those who have survived after months of holding out in the tunnels are thought by the IDF to be running out of supplies and starving….
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