Benjamin Netanyahu seeks pardon from the Israeli president

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested amnesty to the country’s President Isaac Herzog.

The president’s office said Herzog would seek input from justice officials before considering the “extraordinary request with significant consequences.”

Netanyahu has been on trial on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges in connection with three separate cases over the last five years. He denies any wrongdoing.

In his video message, he said he would prefer to see the process through to the end but that national interests “require otherwise.”

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump called on Herzog to “fully pardon” the prime minister.

At the time, Herzog made clear that anyone seeking a pardon must make a formal request.

On Sunday, the president’s office released the request and a letter written by the prime minister himself, in light of “the importance and consequences of this extraordinary request.”

He offered no indication of when the president might reach a decision.

Netanyahu became the first Israeli prime minister to be tried in 2020.

In the first case, prosecutors alleged that he received gifts, primarily cigars and champagne bottles, from powerful businessmen in exchange for favors.

In a second case, he is accused of offering to help increase the circulation of an Israeli newspaper in exchange for positive news.

In the third, prosecutors alleged that a news site encouraged regulatory decisions favorable to the controlling shareholder of an Israeli telecommunications company in exchange for positive coverage.

Netanyahu denied all accusations and called the case a “witch hunt” by political opponents.

In his video message on Sunday, he said the continuation of the trial was “tearing us apart from the inside” at a time when Israel faces “tremendous challenges, as well as great opportunities” that require unity.

“I am confident, like many people across the country, that an immediate end to the trial would go a long way towards reducing the flames and promoting broad reconciliation, something our country desperately needs,” the Prime Minister said. he added.

According to Israel’s Basic Law, the president “has the power to pardon criminals and reduce or convert crimes.” [alter] their punishment”.

But Israel’s High Court of Justice has previously ruled that the president can pardon a person before they are convicted if it is in the public interest or there are extreme personal circumstances.

Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its supporters have always supported pardoning their leader.

But for many in Israel, especially those on the left, this would be seen as another departure from the perception that the country is a solid democracy with a strong legal system.

It was public fear that the government’s judicial reform plans were under attack that brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets in protest for months before the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which triggered the latest Gaza war.