The Media Line: Netanyahu Makes First-Ever Pardon Bid by a Sitting Israeli Prime Minister

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Netanyahu Makes First-Ever Pardon Bid by a Sitting Israeli Prime Minister

By The Media Line Staff 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked President Isaac Herzog for a presidential pardon, a move the President’s Office calls an extraordinary step with far-reaching implications for Israel’s politics and justice system. The request, submitted in Jerusalem on Sunday through Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad, comes while the prime minister’s corruption trial—on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three cases that opened in 2020—remains far from conclusion. 

Hadad filed an 111-page legal memorandum along with a personal letter from Netanyahu. “Granting this request will allow the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities, and energy to advancing Israel in these critical times,” Hadad wrote, arguing that a pardon would “help mend rifts between different sectors of the public, open the door to lowering the intensity of tensions, all for the purpose of strengthening the country’s national resilience.” Netanyahu himself wrote, “I bear broad public and moral responsibility, with an understanding of the implications of all these developments.” 

Under standard procedure, the President’s Office has transferred the request to the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department, which will collect opinions from relevant legal and professional bodies. Those assessments will then be sent to Herzog’s legal adviser, who will prepare a recommendation for the president. “The Office of the President is aware that this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications,” Herzog’s office said. “After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request.” 

Israel’s presidency has the constitutional authority to grant pardons to those convicted in court and, in rare cases, even before legal proceedings are completed if this is deemed to serve the public interest. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert—who served time in prison for corruption—requested a full pardon in 2019. President Reuven Rivlin denied most of the request, granting only a partial pardon that eased some post-release restrictions but did not erase Olmert’s conviction. No sitting prime minister has ever sought a pardon while in office. 

Pressure around Netanyahu’s case has grown at home and abroad. US President Donald Trump recently wrote to Herzog, urging him to pardon Netanyahu, calling the trial “political” and “unjustified.” A separate letter from Likud ministers and deputy ministers pressed Herzog to act in a way that would “restore unity among the people,” while stopping short of explicitly demanding a pardon. 

The president’s ultimate decision will test the boundaries of Israel’s pardon powers, the independence of its judiciary, and the balance between political stability and legal accountability.