The protests on Sunday night came hours after Netanyahu, 76, apologized to the president without admitting guilt or expressing remorse in his long-running corruption trial.
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Opposition MPs, including Naama Lazimi, joined dozens of activists in a protest held under the slogan “Pardon = Banana Republic” outside Herzog’s private home, demanding he reject the request.
One protester wore an orange prison-style jumpsuit like Netanyahu’s, while others stood behind a large pile of bananas with “pardon” written on them.
“He is demanding that his case be dropped in its entirety, without taking any responsibility, without paying the price for how he ruined this country,” said Shikma Bressler, a prominent anti-government activist.
“The Israeli people understand what is at stake and it really is the future of our country,” he said.
Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, has been on trial for five years in three separate corruption cases, including allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
In one case, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, such as cigars, jewelry and champagne, from billionaires in exchange for political favors. He is also accused of attempting to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in two other cases.
Netanyahu has denied the charges and his lawyers said in a 111-page letter to the presidential office that the prime minister was still confident he would be fully acquitted as a result of the legal proceedings.
In a brief video statement, Netanyahu said he wanted to see the process through, “but security and political reality – the national interest – dictate otherwise”.
“The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, creating terrible divisions, widening the cracks,” he said.
Herzog’s office confirmed that it had received Netanyahu’s request.
“This is an extraordinary request, which has significant implications. After receiving all relevant opinions, the President will consider the request responsibly and honestly,” it said.
In addition to domestic charges, Netanyahu is also wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC). In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the genocidal war on Gaza.
Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory has killed more than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,000 others.
Netanyahu’s pardon request comes just weeks after United States President Donald Trump publicly urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu, turning to Herzog during his speech to Israel’s parliament last month.
Earlier this month, Trump also sent a letter to Herzog, calling the corruption case a “political, unfair prosecution.”
Pardons in Israel are generally granted only after legal proceedings have ended and the accused has been convicted. Netanyahu’s request triggered an immediate response.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu should not be pardoned without admitting guilt, expressing remorse and immediately retiring from political life.
Opposition politician Yair Golan, a former deputy chief of staff of the army, called on the prime minister to resign and urged the president not to grant a pardon.
“Only the guilty apologize,” Golan said.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel said that granting amnesty to a prime minister accused of serious crimes of fraud and breach of trust would send a clear message that there are citizens who are above the law.
‘liability’
Outside Herzog’s home, protester Ami Dror, 52, said the president’s job “is to protect Israel’s democracy… and if you dismantle law and order, that could be the end of Israeli democracy”.
Meanwhile, coalition partners issued statements supporting Netanyahu’s clemency request, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich said Netanyahu had been “persecuted for years by a corrupt judicial system that fabricated political cases against him”, while Defense Minister Israel Katz said the pardon would end “the deep rift that has existed with Israeli society for almost a decade”.
Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, reporting from Doha, called Netanyahu “a liability to Israel.”
He said, “Israel has been claiming to be the only democracy in the Middle East for decades. Yes, it is a procedural democracy for Jews in Israel, and under Netanyahu it is slowly but surely eroding.”
Bishara pointed to Netanyahu’s “crusade” against Israel’s judiciary, including the Supreme Court, before the war on Gaza, and said these moves had triggered widespread anti-government protests in Israel.
Bishara said, “So, he has an issue with legitimacy and institutions and liberal democracy. And internationally, he has now been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and he led Israel into a genocidal war, which is the subject of proceedings in the International Court of Justice.”
The analyst said, “That guy is a bandit. He’s an international fugitive… The Israeli economy is not going to recover as long as he is prime minister. Israeli society is not going to recover, and the war is not going to end as long as he is prime minister.”
“Overall, he is not a good sign for Israel because he is a hostage to his criminal past.”
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