Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel’s president to pardon bribery and fraud charges and end a five-year corruption trial, arguing it would be in the “public interest”.
Isaac Herzog’s office acknowledged receipt of the 111-page presentation from the prime minister’s lawyer, and said it had been forwarded to the pardon department at the Justice Ministry. It said the president’s legal advisers would also prepare an opinion before Herzog made a decision.
“The Office of the President recognizes that this is an extraordinary request that has significant implications,” a statement from his office said. “After receiving all relevant opinions, the President will consider the request responsibly and conscientiously.”
The submission on Sunday comes weeks after Donald Trump wrote to Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu, who has been on trial since 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, including alleged political favors to wealthy supporters in exchange for gifts or positive media coverage.
Netanyahu rejected the allegations, and has denounced the case as a “witch-hunt” conducted by the media, police and judiciary.
His critics have accused him of prolonging the war in Gaza to keep his coalition together so he can remain in office and keep his legal threat at bay, but elections are scheduled for next year.
In a brief letter included in his legal filings and in a televised statement released on Sunday, Netanyahu argued that it was in his personal interest to prove his innocence in court, but that shortening the trial was in the interest of national unity, which he claimed was “tearing us apart”.
“Evidence that completely refutes the false claims against me has emerged in court, and as it has become clear that the case against me was built through serious violations, my personal interest was in continuing this process to its end, until a complete acquittal on all counts,” the prime minister said in a televised statement.
He added, “But security and political reality, the national interest, demands otherwise.” “The ongoing trial is tearing us apart from within, fueling fierce disagreements and deepening divisions. I am confident, like many others, that immediately ending the trial will help ease tensions and promote the comprehensive reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.”
Seeking pardon without a guilty plea or resignation is likely to lead to a political and constitutional crisis, which the country’s Supreme Court may ultimately be called upon to resolve.
“Only the guilty apologize,” Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, said in a social media post.
“The only exchange deal on the table is that Netanyahu will take responsibility, admit guilt, leave politics and free the people and the state – only then will unity among the people be achieved.”
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