Overview
- At a Jerusalem news conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Netanyahu rejected trading retirement for leniency, saying voters will decide his future.
- Last month he asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon; he denies the bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, and his lawyers say frequent hearings hinder governance and an acquittal remains possible.
- Reuters notes Israel has no precedent for issuing a pardon while a trial is still under way and that clemency is usually granted only after conviction.
- U.S. President Donald Trump previously wrote to Herzog encouraging him to consider granting Netanyahu a pardon.
- Opposition politicians are divided, with some urging conditions such as resignation and an admission of guilt and others calling for elections first.