Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial, arguing that the criminal proceedings are hindering his ability to govern and that ending the case would serve the national interest.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, faces bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges but denies any wrongdoing. His lawyers, in a letter to the president, insisted the prime minister still believes the trial will end in a complete acquittal.
In a video released by the Likud party, Netanyahu said, “My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country today. I expect that anyone who wishes for the good of the country support this step.”
Neither Netanyahu nor his legal team made any admission of guilt. He has been on trial for five years, facing increasingly frequent court appearances.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the request, saying Netanyahu should not be pardoned without admitting guilt, expressing remorse, and immediately retiring from political life.
Pardons in Israel are typically granted only after legal proceedings conclude and the accused is convicted. Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the president can intervene when the public interest is at stake, saying the trial has deepened national divisions and that ending it would help “healing divisions and strengthening national unity.”
Herzog’s office called the request “extraordinary” with “significant implications”, adding that the president “will responsibly and sincerely consider the request” once all relevant opinions are collected.
The request will be reviewed by the Justice Ministry’s pardons department and forwarded to the president’s legal adviser for a formal recommendation.
U.S. former President Donald Trump also wrote to Herzog urging him to consider granting the pardon, describing the case as “a political, unjustified prosecution.”
Netanyahu argued that the trial is interfering with his duties, saying, “I am required to testify three times a week … That is an impossible demand that is not made of any other citizen.” He added that he had repeatedly earned the public’s trust through successive election victories.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three linked corruption cases involving allegations that he granted favours to wealthy businessmen in exchange for luxury gifts and positive media coverage, claims he denies.
His coalition allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have issued statements backing the pardon request. Meanwhile, opposition figure Yair Golan urged the president to reject the appeal and called on Netanyahu to resign.
A dominant yet polarizing figure in Israeli politics since the 1990s, Netanyahu is leading a government widely viewed as the most right-wing in Israel’s history. Polls suggest his coalition may struggle in the next election, due by October 2026.
Netanyahu’s tenure has been defined by both security policy and corruption scandals. He was prime minister during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, seen as Israel’s most traumatic event since the Holocaust. Under his leadership, Israel launched a prolonged and devastating war in Gaza, as well as military operations against Hezbollah and a subsequent conflict with Iran that targeted key military infrastructure.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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