Overview
- President Isaac Herzog’s office confirmed receipt of Benjamin Netanyahu’s formal pardon request and sent it to the Justice Ministry’s pardons department to collect opinions before a recommendation is made.
- Netanyahu says ending the years-long corruption trial would serve the national interest and ease societal divisions, while he continues to deny charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
- Demonstrators rallied in Tel Aviv and outside Herzog’s residence, and a KAN poll found 38% support a pardon and 43% oppose it.
- Opposition figures including Yair Lapid and Yair Golan say clemency should require a confession and an immediate exit from politics, while ex-premier Naftali Bennett signals support only for a deal tied to Netanyahu’s withdrawal.
- Legal scholars dispute whether pre-conviction clemency is permissible, citing the limited Bus‑300 precedent, and warn any presidential pardon is likely to face a Supreme Court challenge as US President Donald Trump publicly urges leniency.