During his Monday address to the Israeli parliament, Donald Trump called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be pardoned from his fraud and bribery charges.

Trump, who spoke for over an hour, engaged in lighthearted banter with Netanyahu, noting he wasn’t the “easiest” individual to collaborate with and suggesting he could be “a little nicer” now that the war has concluded, before directly addressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog with his proposal.

“Hey, I have an idea, Mr. President – why don’t you give him a pardon?” Trump stated, a remark that led to a standing ovation from numerous members of the Knesset.

Netanyahu faced indictment in 2019 on charges including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, accusations he has consistently denied.

On Monday, Trump seemingly ventured into Israel’s complex political landscape by asserting his “unwavering” support for Jerusalem, conditional on “somebody that’s really stupid gets into office and wants to do really bad things.”

Trump then added, “We don’t think we’re going to have that happen,” prior to endorsing Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a pivotal figure within the prime minister’s struggling coalition.

“There’s only one prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s able to stand up. And he’s not easy – I want to tell you – he’s not the easiest guy to deal with, but that’s what makes him great,” Trump declared.

Nevertheless, moments earlier, Trump implied good relations with Opposition leader , a primary adversary of Netanyahu, eliciting laughter by remarking, “He’s a very nice opposition leader.”

“He’s a nice man, Bibi,” Trump commented. “Now, you can be a little bit nicer because you’re not at war anymore, Bibi.”

Netanyahu’s political future is uncertain, marked by a significant decrease in public support stemming from his military approach in the Gaza Strip and the over two-year duration it took to , with some individuals still held in Gaza and many deceased bodies yet to be repatriated.

The prime minister’s coalition additionally lost its parliamentary majority earlier this year, prompting discussions about the possibility of an early election.

It is yet to be determined if Monday’s repatriation of 20 living hostages will suffice to restore public favor or persuade Netanyahu’s political adversaries to abandon the 2019 charges.

Some lingering frustration over Netanyahu’s management of the Gaza conflict is evident, as two left-wing members of parliament, Aymen Odeh and Ofer Cassif, both affiliated with Israel’s opposition bloc, were removed from the chamber for an apparent disruption at the start of Trump’s speech.

These officials displayed signs bearing the phrases “Genocide” and “Recognize Palestine.”

However, the extent of this sentiment within Israel’s left remains ambiguous, given that opposition leader Lapid had refuted these assertions in his remarks preceding Trump’s address, stating, “The truth is, there was no genocide, no intentional starvation.”

The Knesset Speaker had issued a warning that any disruption to the session would result in prompt action.

Trump humorously remarked on the swift removal of the members, stating, “That was very efficient.”