Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignited a fierce national debate after formally requesting a presidential pardon in his long-running corruption trial, a move described by President Isaac Herzog’s office as "extraordinary" and fraught with significant implications for the country’s legal and political landscape. The request, submitted at the end of November 2025, comes amid mounting pressure from both domestic political allies and international figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly urged Herzog to grant clemency.
Netanyahu’s application for a pardon marks an unprecedented moment in Israeli history. As reported by The New York Times and corroborated by multiple outlets, this is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has sought presidential intervention while still on trial. His legal troubles stem from three separate corruption cases filed in 2019, which include charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The allegations are wide-ranging, from exchanging regulatory favors for favorable media coverage to accepting nearly 700,000 shekels (about $211,832) in lavish gifts such as cigars and champagne from wealthy businessmen, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Both Milchan and Packer have denied wrongdoing, and neither faces charges.
In a video address posted on X, Netanyahu declared, “Today, my lawyers submitted a request for clemency to the President of the State. The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, provoking fierce divisions, intensifying divisions.” He insisted that, while personally committed to clearing his name, “the security and political realities, the national interest, require otherwise.” His letter to President Herzog echoed this sentiment, stating that the trial has become “a focal point of fierce controversy” and that he bears “broad public and more responsibility, with an understanding of the overall ramifications of these events.”
Netanyahu’s formal request consists of two documents: a detailed letter from his lawyer and one signed by the prime minister himself. According to Herzog’s office, the documents have been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to collect opinions from relevant authorities before additional recommendations are formulated for the president’s consideration. The president’s office emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting, “The Office of the President is aware that this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications. After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request.”
Under Israel’s Basic Law, the president holds the power to pardon convicted criminals or reduce sentences, but issuing a pardon before a verdict is highly unusual. Dana Blander, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, warned in a recent analysis that “the possibility that the President might pardon someone before or during trial risks turning the President into an authority that bypasses the law-enforcement and judicial system.” Traditionally, pardons are only granted after a conviction, and the president acts as a “compassionate authority” once all other legal avenues have been exhausted.
The legal proceedings against Netanyahu have been lengthy and fraught with complications. His trial began in May 2020 and has been marked by repeated delays and cancellations, many at Netanyahu’s own request. His testimony began in December 2024, but the process has dragged on, with no verdict expected before 2026 at the earliest. If convicted, Netanyahu could face up to ten years in prison for bribery and three years for each count of fraud and breach of trust. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Netanyahu has steadfastly denied all wrongdoing, labeling the proceedings a “witch hunt.”
Netanyahu’s pardon request has sharply divided Israeli society and its political class. Opposition leader Yair Lapid responded swiftly, arguing, “You cannot grant him a pardon without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse and an immediate retirement from political life.” Lapid’s stance was echoed by other critics, including Benny Gantz and Yair Golan of the Democrats party, who asserted, “Only someone guilty asks for a pardon. After eight years of trial, when the cases against him have not collapsed, Netanyahu is now asking for a pardon.” Gantz further accused Netanyahu of stoking societal divisions and urged him to “extinguish the fire you created within Israeli society.”
Yet, Netanyahu’s allies have come out in force to support his plea. Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir called the pardon “critical for the security of the state,” while Defense Minister Israel Katz cited Israel’s “complex security reality” as justification for supporting clemency. This split reflects the broader public mood: a Channel 12 poll conducted in mid-November 2025 found that 48% of Israelis opposed an unconditional pardon, while 44% supported it, with the remaining 8% undecided.
Internationally, the case has drawn the attention of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has maintained a close relationship with Netanyahu. In a letter sent to Herzog earlier in November, Trump wrote, “I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace.” Trump’s intervention followed his public address to the Israeli parliament in October, where he similarly advocated for Netanyahu’s exoneration. Netanyahu himself referenced Trump’s appeal in his video message, suggesting that resolving his legal troubles could help Israel and the U.S. “promote more vigorously the vital interests shared by Israel and the United States in a window of time that is unlikely to return.”
The pardon request also comes against the backdrop of other legal challenges facing Netanyahu. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza. Both Israel and the U.S. reject the ICC’s jurisdiction, but the warrant theoretically puts Netanyahu at risk of arrest if he travels to an ICC member country. Netanyahu’s office has dismissed the ICC’s actions as “antisemitic” and “absurd and false.”
Legal experts remain skeptical that the pardon request will halt the ongoing trial. Emi Palmor, former director general of the justice ministry, told Al Jazeera, “It’s impossible. You cannot claim that you’re innocent while the trial is going on and come to the president and ask him to intervene.” She added that only the attorney general could stop the proceedings, not a presidential pardon at this stage.
As President Herzog weighs his decision, there is no set deadline for a response. The process is expected to take time, as officials gather input from the Ministry of Justice and other relevant authorities. For now, the country waits—divided, anxious, and watching closely as the fate of its longest-serving leader hangs in the balance.