Overview
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed a formal pardon request on Sunday with a 111-page petition from lawyer Amit Hadad and a letter arguing that public interest warrants ending his trial so he can focus on national priorities.
- President Isaac Herzog confirmed receipt and said he will sincerely consider the request following expert input from the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department.
- According to two U.S. officials and one Israeli official cited by Axios, Netanyahu asked President Trump during a Monday call to continue backing the pardon effort, with Trump expressing optimism but not committing to new steps.
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid said a pardon should require an admission of guilt, remorse and withdrawal from political life, while legal analysts note that pre-conviction pardons are rare and generally advised only in exceptional cases.
- Netanyahu’s corruption trial continues, including the high-profile Case 4000 bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges, and the Haaretz columnist Dahlia Scheindlin argued Trump’s earlier advocacy helped embolden the pardon bid.