Israeli President Isaac Herzog said today that he will consider only the "good of the state and society" when deciding whether or not to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption.
This matter "will be examined in the most appropriate and complete manner," Herzog said, a day after his office announced that Netanyahu had asked him to grant a pardon.
"I will consider only the good of the Israeli state and society, and before my eyes will be only the State of Israel and its interests," he added, according to a statement from his office.
Meanwhile, in a video posted on social media, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had asked the country's President, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon for the multi-year corruption trial, arguing that the criminal process is hindering his ability to govern and that a pardon "would be in the best interest of Israel."
President Isaac Herzog's office called the request "unusual" and with "significant implications." The statement said that "the request will be forwarded to the competent department of the Ministry of Justice, in accordance with usual practice."
Netanyahu was first elected prime minister in 1996 and has since held various roles in government and opposition. He returned to power in 2002 and remains one of the most powerful figures in Israeli politics.
The charges against him were filed in 2019 in three separate but related cases, alleging that he favored prominent businessmen in exchange for gifts and favorable media coverage. In five years of proceedings, neither Netanyahu nor his lawyers have ever pleaded guilty in the case, also known as the “Bibi Files.”
The next elections in Israel are expected to be held by October 2026, and polls show that the current coalition, the most right-wing in the country's history, may have difficulty securing enough mandates to form the next government.
