Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally petitioned President Isaac Herzog for a pardon in the corruption cases that have shadowed his premiership for five years. The unexpected move seeks to prematurely end the legal battle that has deeply polarized the nation.
President Herzog’s office acknowledged the “extraordinary request,” noting its “significant implications.” Officials confirmed that the request, which included a personal letter from the Prime Minister, would now undergo a rigorous review process, starting with legal opinions from justice officials. No timeline for a decision was provided.
Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to stand trial, faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate cases. He has consistently pleaded not guilty, dismissing the entire process as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
In a defiant video message released Sunday, the premier claimed the cases against him were collapsing. However, he stated that while he would prefer to see the process through to acquittal, the “national interest demanded otherwise.”
“The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, and intensifying rifts,” Netanyahu said. He argued that an “immediate end to the trial” would greatly help to lower tensions and promote the “broad reconciliation that our country desperately needs” to focus on external threats and opportunities.
He also described the requirement to testify in court three times a week as an “impossible demand” that hinders his ability to lead the country effectively.
The President’s receipt of the request comes weeks after former US President Donald Trump publicly urged Herzog to grant a “full pardon” to Netanyahu, following up on an earlier letter to the President.
The Prime Minister’s attempt to bypass the judicial process was immediately met with fierce opposition. Opposition leader Yair Lapid insisted that any pardon must be conditional on three factors: an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and Netanyahu’s immediate retirement from political life.
Similarly, left-wing politician Yair Golan stated plainly, “only the guilty seek pardon,” accusing Netanyahu of conflating his personal interests with those of the state.
Legally, the President has the power to pardon or commute sentences. The High Court of Justice has previously allowed pre-conviction pardons in highly specific, rare circumstances, often for reasons of public interest or extreme personal hardship. However, legal experts caution that granting a pardon to a sitting premier in a major corruption case without an admission of guilt would be a precedent-setting and controversial step.
Netanyahu’s indictment, filed in 2019, centers on three core cases: Case 1000 (Gifts): Allegations that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury gifts—including cigars and champagne—from wealthy businessmen in exchange for various favors.
Case 2000 (Newspaper Coverage): Accusations of offering to help weaken a rival newspaper’s circulation in return for more positive coverage of himself in a major Israeli paper.
Case 4000 (Telecom Deal): The most serious charge, alleging that he promoted regulatory decisions favorable to the controlling shareholder of the Bezeq telecom giant in exchange for positive coverage on a news website owned by the shareholder.
This corruption trial has been a major source of tension in Israel, feeding into the deep political divisions that saw massive public protests against the government’s plans for judicial reform. Adding to his legal challenges, Netanyahu, along with his former defence minister, was targeted by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant last year over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a move he also condemned as “antisemitic.”
