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Netanyahu Seeks Presidential Pardon to End Polarizing Corruption Trial

11:59 PM, 11/30/2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon to end his long-running corruption trial. The petition — two letters from Netanyahu and his lawyer — will be reviewed by the justice ministry and the president's legal adviser before Herzog decides. Netanyahu says clemency would ease national divisions and free him to govern, while critics and legal experts argue a pardon is unlikely to halt active proceedings and could undermine democratic norms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday formally asked President Isaac Herzog to grant him a pardon for the corruption charges he faces, seeking to bring an end to a trial that has sharply divided the nation.

The prime minister's office said the petition — two letters, one from Netanyahu and one from his lawyer — was submitted to the legal department of the President's Office. The presidential team described the request as "extraordinary" and said it carries "significant implications." According to the office, the documents will first be reviewed by the justice ministry and then passed to the Legal Adviser in the President's Office to prepare recommendations for Herzog.

Netanyahu is the only sitting Israeli prime minister in history to stand trial. He faces three separate cases alleging fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes tied to alleged exchanges of favors with wealthy backers. He has not been convicted of any offense and rejects the allegations, calling the prosecutions a politically motivated "witch hunt."

In a videotaped statement accompanying the submission, Netanyahu argued that the trial has intensified social divisions and distracted from governance, saying frequent court appearances impede his ability to lead, particularly amid regional tensions.

"The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, stirs up this division, and deepens rifts. I am sure, like many others in the nation, that an immediate conclusion of the trial would greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs," he said.

Many legal experts say a presidential pardon is unlikely to stop active criminal proceedings. Emi Palmor, a former director-general of the justice ministry, said the pardon process cannot substitute for the legal steps required to suspend or end a trial and noted that any pause in proceedings would involve the attorney general.

The request drew immediate criticism from political opponents, who urged President Herzog not to grant clemency without an admission of guilt and a withdrawal from public life. "You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life," opposition leader Yair Lapid said.

The pardon bid places President Herzog in a delicate constitutional and political position: he must weigh legal precedent, public sentiment and the potential effects on Israel's democratic institutions. The decision will be closely watched domestically and internationally and could shape public trust in the rule of law.

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Netanyahu Seeks Presidential Pardon to End Polarizing Corruption Trial - CRBC News