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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that President Isaac Herzog pardon him of corruption charges in his five-year-long case, citing U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent request for the favor and saying that it’s necessary to advance the two leaders’ joint interests as they ravage the Middle East.
The prime minister made the request on Sunday, framing the trial as a “witch hunt” and a pardon as a way to unite Israel. In a video statement in Hebrew, he highlighted what he claimed were “tensions and disputes” between different factions of Israeli society, as a supposed result of his case.
“The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, stirs up this division, and deepens rifts,” he said. “I am sure, like many others in the nation, that an immediate conclusion of the trial would greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.”
Herzog’s office said that it was “aware that this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications.” The president “will responsibly and sincerely consider the request” after consulting with experts, the office added.
Netanyahu’s trial first began in 2020, but then was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was further delayed as Netanyahu led Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and some commentators have noted that Netanyahu often uses military actions as an excuse to continue kicking proceedings further down the road.
The prime minister is accused of accepting bribes and exchanging political favors with the media. In one case, he and his wife are accused of accepting over $260,000 of luxury goods as a bribe, and in two other cases, he struck deals with Israeli media owners in order to obtain favorable media coverage.
Israeli citizens launched protests outside of Herzog’s home in response to Netanyahu’s request, urging him not to grant the pardon. Polls by local news outlets found that a plurality of Israelis oppose a pardon, at 43 percent, while 38 percent support it.
In his video statement, Netanyahu said that he would personally prefer to continue the trial, but that a pardon would be best for Israel at large. He also cited Trump, suggesting that a pardon should be granted because it’s what the U.S. president wants.
“President Trump called for an immediate end to the trial so that I may join him in further advancing vital and shared interests of Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu said.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Netanyahu’s case is a “witch hunt,” without evidence. Last month, Trump sent a letter to Herzog saying that the trial has “unnecessarily diverted” Netanyahu amid his multi-front aggression in the Middle East. He said that the case is a “political, unjustified prosecution” of the man wanted by international authorities for war crimes.
According to Axios’s Barak Ravid, Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Monday after his request, with Trump inviting Netanyahu for a visit to the White House soon.
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