A group of 55 Israeli ministers and members of parliament, including prominent figures such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have formally requested President Isaac Herzog to pardon Jewish Israeli prisoners convicted of murdering Palestinians. The lawmakers specifically urged the release of 25 such individuals, as reported by Israeli news outlet Ynet. This appeal comes amidst a backdrop of recent prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas, which saw the release of thousands of Palestinian detainees. The letter, signed by members of the ruling Likud party and other ministers, emphasized that their support for the pardons does not condone the actions of the convicted individuals. It highlighted the perceived injustice of Jewish prisoners remaining incarcerated while Palestinian prisoners, including those involved in violent crimes, are set free. The signatories called on President Herzog to act swiftly to rectify this imbalance. Under Israeli law, the president holds the authority to grant pardons, and there have been increasing calls for such actions since the Gaza ceasefire began on October 11. Among the prisoners under consideration for sentence commutation is Ami Popper, who has been serving time since 1990 for the murder of seven Palestinian workers. Other high-profile cases include Yosef Haim Ben-David, convicted of the 2014 murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and Amiram Ben-Uliel, sentenced for the 2015 arson attack that killed three members of the Dawabsheh family. The debate over these pardons has sparked significant public discourse in Israel, with some arguing that there is no moral justification for keeping these individuals imprisoned, while others emphasize the gravity of their crimes.