Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump discussed Netanyahu's pardon request in a phone call on Monday evening, sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.
Trump invited the prime minister to a meeting at the White House in the near future during the call, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
The two leaders also discussed the importance of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, as well as Israel and the US's commitment to those goals, as well as expanding regional peace agreements.
Netanyahu submitted a formal request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, in what the President’s Office described as an extraordinary move with significant implications.
It will take up to two months for authorities to review the request, along with supplementary materials, sources previously told the Post.
In a video message explaining his decision, Netanyahu said that a pardon would be necessary to prevent further societal division and to allow the country to focus on national priorities.
Trump calls for Netanyahu pardon
Netanyahu referred to Trump's repeated calls for Herzog to end his criminal trial.
“President Trump called for an immediate end to the proceedings so that together we could advance vital shared interests between Israel and the United States during a window that may not return,” Netanyahu said.
Trump had sent a letter earlier in November to Herzog, urging him to pardon Netanyahu, calling the corruption trial "political" and "unjustified".
Netanyahu's pardon request was controversial among Israeli politicians, with coalition members supporting it and opposition members condemning it.
The call came following a Trump Truth Social post in which he called on Israel to maintain a diplomatic approach toward Syria and refrain from actions that could hamper the country's development.