Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made an extraordinary appeal to the nation's president, formally requesting a full pardon in his ongoing corruption trial and arguing that ending the legal proceedings would serve the public interest.
The Formal Pardon Request
In a substantial 111-page legal submission delivered on Sunday, Netanyahu's legal representatives petitioned President Isaac Herzog to grant a pardon for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The prime minister's legal team contended that concluding the five-year trial would help heal national divisions.
The president's office confirmed receipt of the document, acknowledging it as an extraordinary request with significant implications. A statement indicated the submission had been forwarded to the justice ministry's pardons department for review, while President Herzog's legal adviser will formulate an opinion before any decision is made.
Political Context and Trump's Intervention
This legal manoeuvre comes just weeks after former US President Donald Trump publicly called on President Herzog to pardon Netanyahu. The Israeli leader has been standing trial since 2020 over allegations involving political favours for wealthy backers in exchange for gifts or positive media coverage.
Netanyahu has consistently denied all charges, characterising the case as a politically motivated witch-hunt orchestrated by media, police and judicial opponents. His critics have suggested he has prolonged military conflicts to maintain his governing coalition and thereby remain in office, thus keeping his legal challenges at bay.
Netanyahu's Public Justification
In both his legal filing and a separate televised address, Netanyahu presented a nuanced argument for the pardon request. While maintaining his personal desire to prove innocence through full legal proceedings, he claimed the national interest demanded a different approach.
The prime minister stated in his broadcast: As exonerating evidence that completely disproves the false claims against me is revealed in court, and as it becomes clear that the case against me was built through serious violations, my personal interest was and remains to continue this process to its end, until full acquittal on all counts.
However, he continued: The security and political reality, the national interest, demands otherwise. The ongoing trial is tearing us apart from within, fuelling fierce disagreements, and deepening divisions. I am sure, like many others, that ending the trial immediately would help lower tensions and promote the broad reconciliation our country so desperately needs.
Potential Constitutional Crisis
The unprecedented request for a pardon without any admission of guilt or resignation from office has the potential to trigger a major political and constitutional crisis in Israel. Legal experts suggest the country's supreme court may ultimately need to resolve the matter.
Opposition figures have reacted strongly to the development. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, declared on social media: Only the guilty seek pardon. 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 be achieved among the people.
The situation develops as Israel faces scheduled elections next year, adding further political complexity to Netanyahu's legal battles and his controversial plea for presidential clemency.
