Netanyahu Files Pardon Request Amid Long-Running Corruption Trials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial on multiple corruption charges, announced Sunday that he has formally requested a presidential pardon, arguing that the years-long legal battle is deepening national divisions.

Netanyahu’s move comes after former U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter earlier this month urging Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon the prime minister. Netanyahu has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

“The trial in my case has been ongoing for nearly six years and is expected to continue for many more,” Netanyahu said in a video message. While insisting he wanted to see the process through to acquittal, he said the “national interest” now required a different path as Israel faces “enormous challenges.” He warned that the proceedings were “tearing us apart from within” and worsening the country’s internal rifts.

The corruption cases have long polarized Israeli society. Netanyahu’s supporters argue the charges are politically motivated, while critics see them as evidence of deep-seated misconduct. Prosecutors accuse Netanyahu and his wife Sara of receiving over $260,000 in luxury gifts including cigars, champagne and jewelry from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favours. He is also accused of seeking favourable media coverage in separate cases.

Netanyahu said the recent demand that he testify three times per week was the “breaking point,” calling the requirement “impossible.” Ending the trial, he argued, would help reduce political tensions and encourage national reconciliation.

President Herzog’s office confirmed it had received the request, calling it “extraordinary” and noting that the president would review all legal opinions before making a decision. Herzog previously signaled he might consider clemency, saying the case “weighs heavily on Israeli society.”

Netanyahu, 76, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having held office for more than 18 years across three terms. His current tenure began in late 2022, during which he pushed sweeping judicial overhauls that sparked months of mass protests until the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. He has said he intends to run again in elections due by the end of 2026.

Opposition: A Pardon Requires an Admission of Guilt

Opposition leaders sharply condemned the request. Yair Lapid urged Herzog not to grant clemency unless Netanyahu admits wrongdoing, expresses remorse and leaves political life altogether. Yair Golan of The Democrats echoed the sentiment, writing that “only the guilty seek pardon” and insisting that Netanyahu must accept responsibility and exit politics to “free the people and the state.”

Coalition figures, however, rallied behind Netanyahu. Defense Minister Israel Katz called on Herzog to grant the pardon to heal a “deep rift” in society. Amid speculation that Netanyahu might soften judicial reforms in exchange for a deal, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted his far-right Religious Zionism party would continue to pursue changes to the judiciary regardless of Netanyahu’s legal situation. Smotrich repeated his view that Netanyahu has been persecuted by a “corrupt judicial system.”

AFP