Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially asked the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, on Sunday, to pardon him in the three corruption cases in which he is being tried. In a later video, he justified the request on security grounds and “national interest,” as well as the need to restore social unity.
Netanyahu is the only prime minister in Israel’s history to be tried while in office. He is accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. All of them engage in the alleged exchange of favors with businessmen, for example, to obtain better media coverage. The trial began in 2020 and has no end date in sight.
The issue of amnesty has been in the air in Israel in recent weeks. Especially since US President Donald Trump requested this, in October, directly in front of Parliament, amid the laughter of representatives, with the phrase: “Why don’t they grant him a pardon? Who cares about some cigarettes and champagne?”
He was referring to one of the gifts worth one million shekels (about 265,000 euros) that Netanyahu, his wife, Sara, and his first child, Yair, allegedly received from, among others, Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan. Police suspect he received millions of dollars in tax benefits in return. It’s the call Status 1000.
Two weeks ago, Trump also sent a letter to Herzog asking him to look into the matter, claiming that the criminal case was “politically motivated,” with “unfair accusations intended to do great harm to him.”
The letter from Netanyahu’s legal team begins specifically by referring to Trump’s letter and his requests, based on it, for a pardon and an end to criminal proceedings against the prime minister. His lawyer, Amit Haddad, says that granting it “will allow the prime minister to devote all his time, skills and energy to Israel’s progress at this critical time.” Tolerance would also help “overcome divisions between different sectors of the population and facilitate the reduction of tension, all with the aim of strengthening the country’s national resilience.”
Earlier this month, Netanyahu insisted that he would not ask for a pardon if it meant admitting guilt. In fact, in the petition known this Sunday, published by the presidency, he neither admitted guilt nor apologized for the alleged wrongdoing. It is limited to acknowledging “broad public and moral responsibility for the tension resulting from his corruption trial” and asserts that the criminal proceedings in which he is accused “harm the interests of the state” and “distract public opinion from the political and security issues on the national agenda.”
For months, the Prime Minister has submitted numerous requests to postpone his court appearance, citing issues related to health, security or diplomatic visits. He went as far as imposing a halt or shortening of trial sessions and then conducting public visits.
The matter leaves the president in a delicate position. His office implicitly acknowledged this on Sunday, stressing that it “realizes that it is an exceptional request with important implications,” so it will follow the corresponding procedure and then examine the request “responsibly and sincerely.” When he was asked weeks ago about a possible pardon for Netanyahu, he was vague, without ruling it out or criticizing it.
In Israel, the head of state can grant clemency to people convicted in court, and in rare cases, even before the end of judicial proceedings, if he considers it to be in the public interest. This is the case with Netanyahu. The matter will now be referred to the Pardon Department of the Ministry of Justice.
The Israeli opposition rejected the amnesty, albeit with some nuances. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid will accept it as long as Netanyahu (the leader who remained in power for the longest period in the seven decades of the country’s history) apologizes and retires from political life. “There is no amnesty without an admission of guilt and immediate withdrawal,” he said. In the afternoon, a small march was held against the concession in front of Herzog’s home in Tel Aviv.