November 30, 2025 / 8:30 AM EST / CBS/AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog to grant him a pardon for corruption charges, aiming to bring an end to a trial that has deeply divided the country.
Netanyahu, who has denied wrongdoing, said the pardon would help heal national divisions amid major regional changes and free him from frequent courtroom appearances that he says distract from governing. “The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, stirs up this division, and deepens rifts,” he said, adding that an immediate conclusion would lower tensions and promote reconciliation.
The prime minister’s office confirmed the submission of a pardon request to the legal department of the President’s Office. Herzog’s aides described the plea as an “extraordinary request” with “significant implications,” and said the president will consider it carefully after receiving all relevant legal opinions.
Netanyahu is the only sitting Israeli prime minister to face trial. He is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases alleging he traded favors with wealthy supporters. He has not been convicted and has repeatedly called the prosecutions a media, police and judiciary-orchestrated “witch hunt.”
The filing includes two documents: a detailed letter from Netanyahu’s lawyer and a personal letter from Netanyahu. Under established procedure, the materials will be sent to the justice ministry for comment and then to the Legal Advisor in the Office of the President, who will prepare further advice for Herzog.
Some legal experts argue a presidential pardon is unlikely to stop the ongoing proceedings. Former justice ministry director general Emi Palmor said, “It’s impossible,” arguing that a sitting defendant cannot maintain innocence in court while seeking executive intervention and that only the attorney general has authority to suspend proceedings.
The request followed public encouragement from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who earlier this month wrote to Herzog calling the case “political, unjustified prosecution.” Netanyahu’s supporters have echoed calls for a pardon as a way to restore unity.
Opponents immediately condemned the move, saying it would erode democratic norms and send a message that Netanyahu is above the law. Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Herzog to reject the plea, saying, “You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life.”
Netanyahu has testified in court multiple times over the past year, but hearings have been repeatedly delayed as he and the government have been preoccupied with the wars and unrest following the Hamas-led attacks in October 2023. The pardon petition is now entering a legal review process that could take time as officials weigh its legal and political consequences.