ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused in long-running corruption cases, has submitted a formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog.
“The Office of the President is aware that this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications. After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request,” Herzog’s office said in a statement on Sunday.
Netanyahu is up against three separate cases of corruption filed in 2019, which include allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Netanyahu’s request came as United States President Donald Trump pushed Herzog to pardon Netanyahu in the cases in question. Herzog also received a letter from Trump earlier in November, urging him to consider the pardon.
During his address to the Israeli parliament in October, Trump had urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is also wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC). In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases, accusing him of exchanging favours with wealthy political supporters.
The corruption cases against him include allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen.
Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances.
However, Netanyahu’s trial, which began in 2020, has yet to conclude.
In a videotaped statement, Netanyahu said the trial has divided the country and that a pardon would help restore national unity. He also said the requirement that he appear in court three times a week is a distraction that makes it difficult for him to lead the country.
“The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, stirs up this division, and deepens rifts. I am sure, like many others in the nation, that an immediate conclusion of the trial would greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs,” he said.
Netanyahu’s request consisted of two documents – a detailed letter signed by his lawyer and a letter signed by the prime minister. The documents will be sent to the Ministry of Justice for opinions and will then be transferred to the legal adviser in the president’s office, who will formulate additional opinions for the president.
Legal experts say the pardon request will not stop the trial.
“It’s impossible,” said Emi Palmor, former director general of the justice ministry. “You cannot claim that you’re innocent while the trial is going on and come to the president and ask him to intervene.”
The only way to stop the trial is to ask the attorney general to withhold the proceedings, she added.
Netanyahu’s request sparked an immediate response from the opposition, which urged the president not to give in to his request.
“You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.