Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the target of justice in the investigation into an alleged corruption scheme, submitted a formal request for clemency to President Isaac Herzog, the presidential office reported on Sunday (30).
“The Office of the President recognizes that this is an exceptional request with significant implications. After receiving all relevant opinions, the President will consider the request responsibly and sincerely,” the statement said.
In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu, who has always refuted the accusations, said closing the case immediately could “promote much-needed reconciliation (in Israel).” According to him, his personal interest was to complete the judicial process until the end, but “reality and the national interest” required another scenario.
Netanyahu responds to a case in which he is accused of involvement in a corruption scheme. In 2019, he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, all of which he denies. The Prime Minister has already described the trial against him as a “witch hunt organized by the left” with the aim of “overthrowing a democratically elected right-wing leader.”
One of his closest allies, US President Donald Trump, asked in a letter earlier this month that Herzog consider pardoning Netanyahu. “While I fully respect the independence and demands of the Israeli judicial system, I believe this case against Bibi (as the Israeli Prime Minister is known), who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against Iran, is unjustified political persecution,” Trump wrote in the letter released by Herzog’s office.
During a visit to Israel in October, Trump publicly called on Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon in a speech in parliament in Jerusalem. On this occasion, the American was received with applause and praised the Prime Minister for his “great courage and patriotism.”
The Prime Minister’s trial began in May 2020 and has been postponed several times since then. In one lawsuit, he and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, were accused of receiving luxury gifts, including cigars, jewelry and champagne, valued at more than US$260,000 (about 1.4 million Brazilian reals) from billionaire businessmen in exchange for political favors.
In two other cases, the Prime Minister is responsible for alleged attempts to obtain positive press coverage in two Israeli press outlets in exchange for regulatory or political benefits.
Although the office of president in Israel is largely ceremonial, Herzog has the power to grant pardons in exceptional circumstances.
The Prime Minister was accused of prolonging the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to protect himself from a possible arrest warrant while he remained in power. More than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the conflict, according to the local health ministry controlled by the terrorist group.
In addition to the internal problems, Netanyahu’s image was further damaged last year when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict.