Israeli President Isaac Herzog responded on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in his ongoing corruption trial, saying he will “consider solely the best interests” of the country.
“The issue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon is clearly provoking debate and is deeply unsettling for many people across different communities in the country,” Herzog said, according to his spokesperson. “I have already clarified that it will be handled in the most correct and precise manner. I will consider solely the best interests of the State of Israel and Israeli society.”
The head of state said Sunday that Netanyahu had submitted the request for a pardon, with Herzog’s office describing it as “an extraordinary request that carries significant implications.”
In the request submitted through his attorney Amit Hadad, Netanyahu wrote to Herzog that a pardon would “enable the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities and energies to advancing the State of Israel in these critical times, and to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Halting the legal process would also allow for “mending the rifts between different parts of the nation and open the door to lowering the flames, all for the purpose of strengthening national resilience,” he wrote.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister faces corruption charges in three separate cases—Cases 1000 and 2000 (the charge in both is breach of trust), and Case 4000 (bribery, fraud, and breach of trust).
In a video statement released shortly after Herzog’s remarks, Netanyahu said his “personal interest has been, and remains, to continue the process until the end, until full acquittal on all charges.
“However, the security and diplomatic reality, the national interest, demand otherwise,” the premier continued. “The State of Israel faces enormous challenges and, alongside them, tremendous opportunities.
“To repel the threats and seize those opportunities, national unity is required,” Netanyahu said. “The continuation of the trial tears us apart from within, fuels this division, and deepens the rifts.”
According to the prime minister, putting an immediate end to the thrice-weekly court sessions “will greatly help lower the flames and advance the broad reconciliation our country so desperately needs.
“I expect that all those who place the good of the country above all will support this step,” the two-and-a-half-minute statement concluded.
