Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon in his years-long corruption trial, arguing that the proceedings are hindering his ability to govern and that ending the case would serve the national interest.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, has consistently denied charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. His lawyers said in a letter to Herzog’s office that the prime minister still believes the trial will ultimately result in a full acquittal. “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,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his Likud party.
Herzog’s office confirmed receipt of the request and said it would be forwarded to the justice ministry’s pardons department, which will collect opinions before submitting a recommendation to the president’s legal adviser. US President Donald Trump had earlier urged Herzog to grant the pardon, calling the case “a political, unjustified prosecution.”
Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the trial has deepened societal divisions and that frequent court hearings are an impossible burden for a sitting prime minister. “I am required to testify three times a week … That is an impossible demand that is not made of any other citizen,” Netanyahu said, stressing that he has repeatedly earned public trust through election victories.
Traditionally, pardons in Israel are granted only after conviction, but Netanyahu’s team contends that the president can intervene in the public interest to promote unity. Opposition leader Yair Lapid rejected the request, saying a pardon should only follow an admission of guilt, remorse, and retirement from politics.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three related cases involving allegations that he granted favours to business figures in exchange for gifts and favourable media coverage. Coalition allies including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have backed his pardon request, while opposition politician Yair Golan called on him to resign.
The prime minister, a polarizing figure since first taking office in 1996, returned to power after the 2022 election at the head of Israel’s most right-wing coalition. Polls suggest his bloc would struggle to secure a majority in the next election, due by October 2026.
Netanyahu was in office during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, widely regarded as the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust. Since then, he has overseen the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the territory, drawing international condemnation. Israel has also weakened Hezbollah and launched strikes against Iran this year, destroying key military infrastructure.
