Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is unsure whether he would accept a presidential pardon if one were offered, calling his ongoing corruption trial a �politicized and unjust witch hunt� during an interview with conservative podcast host Erin Molan.

His comments came just hours after President Donald Trump sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging him to �fully pardon� Netanyahu�a move that immediately injected U.S. politics into Israel�s most divisive legal saga.

�I�ll think about it,� Netanyahu said when asked whether he would accept a pardon. �I�ve spent three days a week running a war and trying to expand peace, while also in court talking about why my son received a Bugs Bunny doll when he was five. That�s a bribe? Or why I got some cigars from a friend? It�s ridiculous.�

Calling the trial �embarrassing to the prosecution,� Netanyahu praised Trump for siding with him, saying the U.S. president was �the best thing to happen to Israel since maybe Cyrus.�

Trump�s letter to Herzog�sent Wednesday and bearing his signature�called on Israel�s president to wipe away Netanyahu�s legal troubles, framing the prime minister as a critical partner in Trump�s renewed push to expand the Abraham Accords.

The letter described Netanyahu as �a formidable wartime leader� and argued his prosecution �hurts both American and Israeli interests.� The request immediately sparked questions about political interference and the precedent of a foreign leader calling for a legal intervention in another democracy.

In the wide-ranging interview, Netanyahu also swatted away threats by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to arrest him if he visits the city.

�I�m not afraid,� Netanyahu said. �It�s good to be a young leader, but it�s not good to be a young, uneducated leader.�

He also voiced skepticism about Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa�s planned Washington visit, warning that diplomacy cannot paper over the reality on the ground.

�Does Syria become a peaceful country? Does he weed out the jihadists in his military?� Netanyahu asked. �You can�t build peace on falsehoods.�

The prime minister saved some of his most scathing language for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of paying terrorists and glorifying killers.

�To embrace him as a prince of peace is the opposite of reality,� he said. �The force for peace is Israel�not the Palestinian Authority, which funds terrorism.�

Netanyahu told Molan that Israel stands ready to help the people of Iran, even as it continues to strike the regime�s military capabilities.

�The regime puts billions into Hezbollah, Hamas, and Assad�but nothing into fixing the water crisis or improving the economy,� he said. �The Iranian people deserve better.�

He claimed Israel�s July strikes set Iran back on its nuclear and missile programs. �They�ll try to recover, but we�re following it closely, alongside our American friends.�

The interview also served as an unmistakable campaign message. �I�ll run if the people want me to,� Netanyahu said. �We�ve achieved a lot�defeating Hamas, dismantling the Iranian Axis, releasing hostages. If the people give me the mandate, I�ll continue.�

He outlined his post-war plan for Gaza.� �Israel will retain control of Gaza�s security,� he said. �We won�t relinquish our security to anyone else. Gaza will be demilitarized, and Israel will maintain full security responsibility. We won�t farm it out.�

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)