Netanyahu appears in Israeli court after pardon request

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court for the first time since asking the country’s president for clemency in his long-running corruption case.

Opposition politicians opposed this request, while some argued that the pardon should be conditional on Netanyahu retiring from politics and pleading guilty.

Others said the prime minister should call for general elections, due in October 2026, before seeking any amnesty.

Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister, said he would support ending the trial if Netanyahu agreed to withdraw from politics “to get Israel out of this chaos.”

“So we can put this behind us, unite and rebuild the country together,” said Bennett, who led the coalition government that won the 2021 elections by dismissing Netanyahu.

Netanyahu won the next elections and came back to power.

Polls show Bennett is the most likely to head the new government if Netanyahu leaves.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, was accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in 2019 after years of investigations.

His trial started in 2020.

The Prime Minister repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and did not admit guilt in his request for amnesty; Netanyahu’s lawyers stated that they believe that if the legal proceedings are completed, they will result in a full acquittal.

A small group of demonstrators gathered outside Monday’s Tel Aviv court hearing; some were wearing orange prison-style jumpsuits and urging Netanyahu to go to jail.

Ilana Barzilay, one of the demonstrators outside the court, said she believed it was unacceptable for Netanyahu to seek clemency without admitting guilt or taking any responsibility.

Netanyahu’s lawyers said in a letter to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday that frequent court appearances are hindering the prime minister’s ability to govern.

They said forgiveness would also be good for the country.

In Israel, pardons are generally granted only after legal proceedings are completed and the defendant is convicted.

There is no precedent for pardons being granted in the middle of a trial.

Allies of Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition backed his request, which comes two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog asking him to consider pardoning Netanyahu and calling the cases against him a “political, unfair prosecution.”

In the last election, Netanyahu’s opponents made his legal cases a central issue of their campaigns.

Many polls show his coalition will struggle to win enough seats to form the next government.