AT A GLANCE
- Netanyahu has formally asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a pardon while still on trial for fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
- Trump publicly urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, claiming it would strengthen U.S.–Israel cooperation.
- Herzog calls the request “extraordinary” and sends it to the Justice Ministry for review.
- Opposition leaders reject the pardon outright, insisting Netanyahu must admit guilt and leave politics.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon as he continues to face a years long corruption trial, a move that comes just weeks after President Donald Trump publicly urged Israeli leadership to clear him of all charges.
Netanyahu announced the request in a video posted Sunday, saying his legal team had submitted an application for clemency and arguing that the ongoing trial was deepening internal strife at a moment of national instability. He insisted he still believes he would ultimately be acquitted but claimed the country’s “security and political realities” require a different course.
Netanyahu is standing trial for fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three separate cases. Prosecutors allege that he traded regulatory favors to media executives seeking favorable coverage and accepted luxury gifts, including cigars and champagne, from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.
Those gifts are valued in the hundreds of thousands of shekels. Milchan has admitted to giving “excessive” gifts but denies wrongdoing; Packer has also denied the allegations. Neither man has been charged. Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison for bribery and up to three years each for fraud and breach of trust if convicted. After five years in court, a verdict is not expected until 2026, and Netanyahu has consistently dismissed the allegations as a political “witch hunt.”
President Herzog’s office called the pardon request “extraordinary” and noted its “significant implications,” adding that it has been transferred to the Pardons Department within the Ministry of Justice. That department will collect opinions from relevant authorities before a decision is made.
Herzog and Netanyahu come from opposing political movements, and their relationship has often been tense, but Herzog has made clear that all clemency requests must follow established procedures. Netanyahu made no admission of guilt in seeking the pardon.
The prime minister also pointed to Trump’s recent letter to Herzog calling for the trial to be canceled, saying that doing so would allow the two leaders to more effectively “promote vital shared interests” between the United States and Israel.
Key members of Netanyahu’s government, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, immediately backed the clemency push, citing Israel’s unstable security environment. Netanyahu has frequently invoked the war in Gaza and broader security threats when seeking delays in his trial.
Opposition leaders sharply rejected the request. Yair Lapid argued Netanyahu should not receive a pardon without admitting guilt, expressing remorse and stepping away from political life. Benny Gantz called the move “fake” and urged Netanyahu to “extinguish the fire you created within Israeli society.”
The pardon request also unfolds against the backdrop of last year’s arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Neither the United States nor Israel recognizes the ICC’s jurisdiction, but the warrant technically places Netanyahu at risk of arrest if he enters any ICC member nation. Israel has denounced the warrant as “antisemitic,” “absurd” and entirely baseless.
