Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday apologized to the country’s president in his lengthy corruption trial, arguing that criminal proceedings were hampering his ability to govern and that a pardon would be good for Israel.
Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His lawyers said in a letter to the president’s office that the prime minister still believes the court process would result in a complete acquittal.
“My lawyers today sent a request for pardon to the president of the country. I hope that anyone who wishes the good of the country [will] “Let us support this step,” Netanyahu said in a brief video statement released by his political party, Likud.
Neither the prime minister, on trial for five years, nor his lawyers admitted his guilt.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu should not be pardoned without admitting guilt, expressing remorse and immediately withdrawing from political life.
In Israel, pardons are typically granted only after judicial proceedings have concluded and the accused has been convicted. Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the president can intervene when the public interest is at stake, as in this case, with a view to healing divisions and strengthening national unity.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office described the request as “extraordinary” with “significant implications.” The president “will consider the request responsibly and sincerely” after receiving relevant feedback, his office said.
US President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog this month, urging him to consider granting the prime minister a pardon, saying the case against him was “an unwarranted political prosecution.”
Herzog’s office said the request would be sent to the Justice Ministry’s pardon department, as is standard practice, to gather opinions, which would be sent to the president’s legal advisor, who will make a recommendation to the president.
Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party and a close ally of the prime minister.
In the letter, Netanyahu’s lawyers argued that the criminal proceedings against him had deepened social divisions and that ending the trial was necessary for national reconciliation. They also wrote that increasingly frequent court hearings were burdensome as the prime minister attempted to govern.
“I must testify three times a week… that is an impossible demand that is not made of any other citizen,” Netanyahu said in the video statement, emphasizing that he had earned the public’s trust by repeatedly winning elections.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three separate but related cases centering on allegations that he extended favors to prominent business figures in exchange for gifts and sympathetic media coverage.
The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Coalition allies issued statements supporting Netanyahu’s clemency request, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Opposition politician Yair Golan, a former deputy army chief, called for the prime minister’s resignation and urged the president not to grant clemency.
Netanyahu is one of the country’s most polarizing political figures, first elected prime minister in 1996. He has since worked in the government and opposition and returned to the prime minister’s office after the 2022 election.
The next election is scheduled for October 2026, and many polls indicate that his coalition, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, would struggle to win enough seats to form a government.
Throughout his career, Netanyahu has earned a reputation for prioritizing economic and security issues, but he has also been dogged by corruption allegations.
He was prime minister on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attack against Israel. Since then, he has overseen the devastating war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated much of the territory, drawing widespread international criticism and condemnation.
Israel has severely weakened Hamas and Hezbollah, and this year launched a war against Iran that destroyed critical military infrastructure.
