Netanyahu Requests Presidential Pardon Amid Ongoing Criminal Trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted an official request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog, in what has been described by Israeli officials as an “extraordinary” legal and political move. The request, submitted Sunday, comes as Netanyahu’s long-running criminal trial continues to dominate public discourse and divide opinion across the country.

Netanyahu’s attorney, Amit Hadad, filed the request through formal legal channels. The President’s Office confirmed that the materials have been passed to the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department, which will coordinate legal assessments before Herzog makes a final decision. The process is expected to take several weeks, possibly up to two months.

“This is a highly unusual request with significant implications,” the President’s Office said. Officials emphasized that President Herzog would “consider the request responsibly and sincerely” only after reviewing all legal opinions and evidence.

Alongside Hadad’s legal submission, Netanyahu personally authored and signed a letter released to the public. In a video message, the prime minister framed his request not as a personal reprieve, but as a necessary step to heal a divided nation.

“Almost a decade has passed since the investigations began,” Netanyahu said. “The trial has gone on for nearly six years, and it is expected to continue for many more.” He asserted that the trial has “torn the country apart” and created a dangerous distraction from Israel’s pressing security and diplomatic challenges.

A major trigger for the request was the court’s recent ruling requiring Netanyahu to testify three times a week a schedule he called “impossible” and without precedent for other citizens. “This demand prevents me from carrying out my duties as prime minister,” he said.

In his appeal to Herzog, Netanyahu also cited a letter from former U.S. President Donald Trump urging the Israeli president to halt the trial. Trump, who labeled the proceedings “political” and “unjustified,” argued that the case distracts from vital U.S.-Israel cooperation.

While some in Israel have criticized Trump’s comments as inappropriate foreign interference, others in the Likud party echoed Netanyahu’s concerns. A letter signed by Likud ministers and deputy ministers was sent to Herzog last month, urging consideration of the broader national climate.

Although it stops short of demanding a pardon, the Likud letter calls for steps that would “restore unity among the people” and highlights Herzog’s constitutional authority to grant clemency.

The prime minister’s official request spans over a dozen pages and argues that the trial has not only harmed him personally but has damaged institutional trust and undermined Israel’s ability to navigate regional instability. Netanyahu insists that while he believes he would be acquitted, Israel’s national interest demands the trial be brought to a close.

President Herzog now faces one of the most consequential decisions of his tenure a legal and moral judgment that could shape Israeli democracy for years to come.

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