Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted an official plea to President Isaac Herzog for a pardon that would immediately halt his ongoing corruption trial, the first time a sitting Israeli leader has made such a request.
“The Trial is Tearing the Country Apart”
In a primetime national address, Netanyahu said the five-year legal saga distracts him from leading during wartime and deepens dangerous internal divisions.
“Three court appearances a week while running a country in crisis is impossible,” he said. “Ending this trial now is in the supreme national interest, not a personal privilege.”
He faces three separate indictments for fraud, bribery and breach of trust, all of which he continues to deny.
Opposition: “No Pardon Without Guilt and Exit”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the move “an attempted judicial coup” and demanded Herzog reject it unless Netanyahu admits guilt, expresses remorse and leaves politics permanently.
Rare and Controversial Procedure
The President’s Office confirmed receipt and described the application as “exceptional in nature.” The request has been forwarded to the Justice Ministry’s pardons department for formal review.
Legal scholars note that pardons before a verdict are almost unheard of in Israel and would set a dramatic precedent.
President Herzog promised to examine the matter “with utmost responsibility” after receiving all professional recommendations.
