Netanyahu submits request for a pardon during his ongoing corruption trial
Last edited Sun Nov 30, 2025, 07:35 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: AP
Updated 7:25 AM EST, November 30, 2025
TEL AVIV (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges — seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.
Netanyahu, who has been at war against the country’s legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous changes in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from his opponents, who said it would weaken Israel’s democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the rule of law.
In a statement Sunday the prime minister’s office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters. He has not yet been convicted of anything.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-netanyahu-pardon-5dbc2461b440c8edc8d82d31650cdbe8
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Original article -
TEL AVIV (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel’s president to grant him a pardon during his long-running corruption trial that’s bitterly divided the country.
In a statement Sunday the prime minister’s office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president’s office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters. He has not yet been convicted of anything.
The request comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu. In a videotaped statement, Netanyahu said the trial has divided the country and that a pardon would help restore national unity. He also said the requirement that he appear in court three times a week is a distraction that makes it difficult for him to lead the country.
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