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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday officially requested a presidential pardon from his ongoing corruption charges, citing national unity and Israel’s pressing security challenges as justification.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office confirmed receipt of the request, which it described as “an extraordinary request with significant implications.” The office said it will forward the request to the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department for legal opinions before Herzog makes a final decision.
The application included two letters, one signed by Netanyahu and another by his lawyer, which the president’s office said could be publicly disclosed “due to the importance of this exceptional request and its repercussions.”
“Despite my personal interest in conducting the trial and proving my innocence until full acquittal, I believe the public interest dictates otherwise,” Netanyahu wrote in his letter, cited by the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
He argued that ending the trial would help de-escalate political tensions. “The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, intensifying rifts,” he said in a video message. “The trial in my case has been ongoing for nearly six years and is expected to continue for many more years.”
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who has denied all charges. Trump has repeated his calls in recent weeks, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu said he would prefer to see the trial through to acquittal but argued that “security and political reality—the national interest—dictate otherwise.” He added, “The State of Israel is facing enormous challenges.”
Netanyahu, 76, is the first sitting Israeli leader to stand trial while in office. He faces three separate corruption cases, including charges of bribery and breach of trust. In one case, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne, from billionaires in exchange for political favors. In two other cases, Netanyahu is alleged to have attempted to influence media coverage by offering regulatory benefits.
Beyond domestic legal troubles, Netanyahu also faces war crimes charges. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity in Gaza. Over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the enclave since October 2023, according to health officials in Gaza.
Herzog’s office reiterated Sunday that the process would be handled with legal rigor. “This is an extraordinary request, which carries with it significant implications. After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request,” it said.
In September, Herzog had signaled openness to a possible pardon, saying in an interview that Netanyahu’s trial “weighs heavily on Israeli society.”
According to Israeli law, the president has the authority to grant pardons or commute sentences after considering legal advice and ministry opinions.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has held office for more than 18 years across three separate terms since 1996. His current term began in late 2022, during which he introduced sweeping judicial reforms that critics said aimed to undermine the judiciary’s independence.
The proposed reforms sparked massive nationwide protests, which only abated following the Hamas-led attacks of October 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war.
Despite ongoing legal and political challenges, Netanyahu has declared he will run in the next national elections, scheduled to take place by the end of 2026.
Opposition leaders swiftly condemned the request. “You cannot grant Netanyahu a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and an immediate withdrawal from political life,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid in a video posted to X.
Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, echoed Lapid, writing, X: “Only the guilty seek pardon. The only exchange deal on the table is that Netanyahu will take responsibility, admit guilt, leave politics, and free the people and the state—only then will unity be achieved in the nation.”
In contrast, several members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition expressed support. Defense Minister Israel Katz called on Herzog to grant the pardon to help heal societal divisions and “allow the country to reunite.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, dismissed reports that Netanyahu might trade judicial reform rollbacks for an end to his trial.
“The commitment of Religious Zionism to reform in the judicial system will continue substantively, regardless of Netanyahu’s pardon,” Smotrich wrote on X.
“It is clear to every reasonable person that Netanyahu has been persecuted for years by a corrupt judicial system that fabricated political cases against him.”
Netanyahu said one of the tipping points in his decision was the demand for him to testify three times a week. “Three times a week is an impossible requirement,” he said. “I am certain, like many others in the nation, that an immediate end to the trial will greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.”
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