TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked Israel’s president for a pardon from corruption charges, filing a request intended to bring an end to his long-running criminal case that has sharply divided the country.
Netanyahu’s office said the pardon petition was submitted to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request” with far-reaching implications and said the papers will be reviewed by the Justice Ministry before being sent to the president’s legal advisor for further opinion.
The request includes two documents: a detailed letter from Netanyahu’s lawyer and a personal letter signed by the prime minister. Netanyahu says the ongoing trial is tearing the nation apart and that a presidential pardon would help restore unity at a time of major regional change. He has also argued that frequent court appearances, which he says occur three times a week, distract him and limit his ability to govern.
Netanyahu is the only sitting Israeli prime minister to face trial. He is accused in three separate cases of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes connected to alleged exchanges of favors with wealthy supporters. He denies the allegations and has long described the proceedings as a politically motivated campaign orchestrated by media, police and parts of the judiciary.
The pardon plea follows public pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who last month urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu and sent a letter to President Isaac Herzog calling the prosecution “political” and “unjustified.”
Legal experts say a presidential pardon cannot stop an active trial. Emi Palmor, a former director general of the Justice Ministry, said a pardon does not legally preclude the continuation of proceedings and that the attorney general is the appropriate official to consider suspending the case.
Netanyahu has testified repeatedly over the past year, but court sessions have often been postponed as he handled crises related to the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks and subsequent unrest. He has long maintained that he is the target of a “deep state” campaign to remove him from office. Critics note that in 2008, when he was in opposition, he urged then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign amid corruption allegations; Olmert later left office before his own indictment and served prison time.
After forming his current government in late 2022, Netanyahu pushed a contentious overhaul of Israel’s justice system that he said was necessary reform. Opponents accused him of trying to weaken judicial oversight while simultaneously facing criminal charges, a charge he rejects. The reform effort provoked mass protests and heightened political polarization — which some commentators say helped create the vulnerabilities exposed by the October 2023 attacks.
Netanyahu’s pardon move drew rapid criticism from opposition parties and civic watchdogs. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said a pardon should not be granted absent an admission of guilt, remorse and a withdrawal from public life. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel warned that pardoning a sitting prime minister accused of serious offenses would signal that some citizens are above the law.
The debate over the petition is likely to continue as legal advisers and ministries weigh its implications before it reaches the president. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
