Trump suggests Netanyahu pardon during Israeli parliament address

This was a speech unlike any other President Trump has given.

After releasing the Hamas hostages — a moment of pure joy — he spent much of his speech in the Israeli parliament praising others.

There was sustained applause yesterday in the Knesset in Jerusalem as Trump spoke of the “great God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” and then saluted more modern figures.

Bibi Netanyahu. Marco Rubio. Pete Hegseth. Jared Kushner (who says his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism to marry him). Various generals. And Steve Witkoff went on and on about the Middle East envoy’s abilities and his four-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin.

TRUMP CALLED NETANYAHU FOR AMNESTY AFTER HE REQUESTED THE QUICK REMOVE OF LEFT-WING MLAS BY SECURITY

The president also said he had received invaluable assistance from Arab and Muslim countries as he envisioned “peace forever, God willing.”

An eternity is a long time, and while Trump may not have landed on an aircraft carrier with a George W. Bush-style Mission Accomplished banner, he has made it clear that he thinks the war is over.

It was impossible not to be impressed while watching Israeli footage of some of the 20 released hostages tearfully embracing their family members. Even if they watch it for a second or third time, considering the horrific ordeal they endured. If your heart isn’t stuck in your throat, it means you don’t have a heart.

As Trump relaxed and began improvising, the message was clear: He was the one who orchestrated this peace agreement. He was also careful to blame the war on the “heinous” massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists on October 7, which caused the greatest loss of Jews since the Holocaust.

Still, Trump couldn’t stop himself from taking partisan stances against Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

A group of Hamas gunmen and 20 Israeli hostages living in Deir-el Balah in central Gaza were released on October 13, 2025. (TPS-IL)

Towards the end of the hour-long speech, he went off script by turning to the Israeli president and suggesting that he pardon Netanyahu. Bibi is a defendant in a long-running corruption case that has been delayed in part by a two-year war.

Last week, I was one of the first to observe that Trump’s efforts to broker international peace stood in stark contrast to his refusal to negotiate with Democrats to end a government shutdown that has stretched into its second week. There is peace outside but not at home. But right now the hot media spotlight is on the Middle East.

When Trump had no one to thank, he praised Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid. He saw Miriam Adelson, the widow of billionaire Sheldon Adelson, and persuaded her to stand up while regularly visiting Trump on behalf of Israel.

You know who praises Trump? Hillary Clinton Rahm Emanuel. Condoleezza Rice. Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan. John Fetterman (You know who won’t mention his name? Obama called out by CNN).

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Trump was even receiving praise for at least the short-term victory from the likes of Jon Meacham and Ben Rhodes on MSNBC.

You can hate the president of the opposing party or other ideological divides, but still applaud him when he does something good for America and the world.

Trump knows full well the challenges ahead, which is why he traveled to Egypt to sign the agreement and continue negotiations with Arab leaders.

The tone was almost the same on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox, which had a special interview with Trump; it’s joyful, it’s celebratory, it’s full of praise, but it’s also wary of what happens next, and those are fair journalistic questions.

Some former Israeli officials and journalists said this could have been achieved a year or 18 months ago, but Netanyahu wanted to keep fighting. Trump acknowledged that Netanyahu wanted to continue the fight, called him a difficult man to deal with, and forced him to accept the peace plan by threatening to walk away. He even forced Bibi to apologize to Qatar for attacking exiled Hamas leaders there. None of this would have happened if Bibi hadn’t nearly broken her arm.

President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before boarding Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Check it out: Trump said in Egypt: “I want to thank the media, you’ve been very respectful.” He had listened to various news programs from Air Force One and they were all “fair game.” Wowza.

This was during an interview with Fox’s Trey Yingst, who has been my guest many times. “You’re a real professional; not because it’s good or bad, you’re just a real professional,” Trump told him. “It would be great if others did what you did because they put a negative spin on the news.”

Among other things, Trump said he wanted to make a deal with Iran, to the dismay of many Israelis, but spoke only briefly about the Peace Council, which he would chair and include Arab and European leaders. The United States will contribute 200 troops stationed outside Gaza.

Answering press questions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Trump displayed optimism regarding Phase 2 of the process. But he knows this is no child’s play, to use a phrase that Bush defense adviser Ken Adelman called “an easy walk in Iraq” in his Washington Post column, and the resulting quagmire turns out to be anything but.

The question of who will rule Gaza and whether the remnants of Hamas will surrender their weapons is still up in the air.

The strip was largely reduced to rubble. The region needs money from richer Arab countries rather than military guarantees.

With 2 million Palestinians displaced or losing their homes, will building housing be the top priority? Or will hotels be built to attract tourists? It’s hard to imagine that many people will be holidaying there in the coming years.

While calling on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, Trump said: “Cigars and champagne, who cares about that?”

The Prime Minister postponed the case with war-related delaying tactics and diplomatic moves. If that sounds familiar, he says the whole thing is a left-wing conspiracy against his right-wing government.

Israeli prosecutors said he shared regulatory privileges with media dignitaries to get positive coverage, and 140 witnesses, including former aides, testified against him.

In one case, Bibi and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting $260,000 worth of luxury items, including cigars, sodas and jewelry, for political gain.

TRUMP WROTE A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS RELEASED ALL SURVIVING HOSTAGES

President Donald Trump poses with the agreement signed at the summit of world leaders to end the Gaza war on October 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool/REUTERS)

Israelis who called on Herzog to pardon Netanyahu were stunned, saying it could never happen because if such a pardon were to magically materialize it would require the prime minister to admit guilt.

Look, the 47th president says and does a lot of things that are outlandish, self-serving, overly partisan, infuriating, or fact-challenging.

Here’s an example from Truth Social:

“BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS IN THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6. If that’s the case, which it is, we will owe a huge apology to a lot of good people. What a SCAM – SOMETHING!!! President DJT.”

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Problem? There On January 6, 2021, Biden was not the FBI; Trump was still president! It’s hard to understand how he could make this mistake.

Trump still talks about a “golden age for Israel and the Middle East,” which is a big goal. No other president could have done this, and he deserves all the credit. However, the larger goal of long-term peace in the unstable region remains a dream for now.