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. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett. VERBATIM: Netanyahu said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous […]
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Netanyahu Asks for a Pardon
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. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.
VERBATIM:
Netanyahu said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous change in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from opponents, who said a pardon would weaken democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he’s above the rule of law.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President, His office called it an “extraordinary request,” carrying with it “significant implications.”
The request comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged Israel to pardon Netanyahu, turning to President Isaac Herzog during his speech to Israel’s parliament last month.
Bernie Bennett reporting.