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Benjamin Netanyahu has formally requested a pardon in his long-running corruption trial from Israeli president Isaac Herzog, in a move set to have significant political and legal implications.
Lawyers for the prime minister sent the request to Herzog on Sunday, which follows US President Donald Trump repeatedly calling for the Israeli president to “fully pardon” Netanyahu, noting his “formidable” leadership.
“Mr President, why don’t you give him a pardon . . . cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump told Israel’s parliament last month.
Netanyahu’s team referenced a Trump letter to the Israeli president in their petition and argued that there was a “paramount public interest” in issuing a pardon, stopping the trial against the premier, and allowing Netanyahu to “devote all of his time and energy to dealing” with the affairs of state.
“The State of Israel is facing golden opportunities that may bring about a fundamental change in the entire Middle East, along with dangers, threats, and challenges,” they wrote.
“In addition, granting a pardon will allow the Prime Minister to work to heal the rift in the nation,” they added, an allusion to the highly divisive role that Netanyahu’s legal troubles have had on the country’s political life since the investigations began in 2016.
Netanyahu was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases involving alleged favour trading and the acceptance of gifts from media tycoons and other wealthy benefactors. His trial in Jerusalem district court has been running, on and off, for over five years, with no clear end in sight.
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Netanyahu has consistently denied all the charges, calling the proceedings a politically motivated “witch-hunt” against him by “leftwing deep state” elements in the police, judicial authorities, and media.
Netanyahu’s current far-right governing coalition embarked on a highly contentious move in early 2023 to undermine the power of the country’s judiciary, which led to months of mass anti-government street demonstrations.
“Despite my own personal interest to continue the trial and prove my innocence up to my full acquittal, I believe the public interest directs me differently,” Netanyahu wrote in a personal letter to Herzog, as he refused to admit any guilt and made clear his intention to continue in office.
Herzog’s office acknowledged that it was “an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications”, and said that the president would “responsibly and sincerely consider” the proposal along with relevant legal opinions. Analysts speculated that the process could take several weeks.
The Israeli president has the power to pardon individuals and commute sentences, in extreme cases even prior to a final court verdict. But usually this would follow an admission of guilt, analysts said. It remains unclear whether Netanyahu would in fact do so, and whether as part of the pardon Herzog would insist that the premier leave office for a period of time.
Opposition politicians lambasted the request by Netanyahu, and implored the president to strike a hard bargain with the prime minister.
In a recorded video statement addressing Herzog, opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and an immediate retirement from political life.”
