Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted an official request for a pardon to President Isaac Herzog, the president’s office said on Sunday.
Netanyahu is currently on trial for corruption and has pleaded not guilty. The trial, which began in 2020, is still ongoing, and Netanyahu has long claimed the charges are part of a left-wing plot to remove him from power.
Herzog’s office called the request “extraordinary” and said it carried “significant implications”. It added that the president would consider it “responsibly and sincerely” after reviewing all relevant opinions. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
As part of the background to the case, Herzog’s office confirmed last week that it had received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump urging him to consider granting Netanyahu a pardon. Trump has repeatedly voiced support for Netanyahu, calling the charges a “political, unjustified prosecution”.
Herzog’s office said that any pardon must follow formal procedures. Trump also urged Herzog to issue a pardon during a visit to Israel in October, when he addressed parliament in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases, including allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen. Although the president’s role is mainly ceremonial, Herzog has the authority to grant pardons in unusual circumstances.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 13rd of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Officials in Azerbaijan have said they have stopped terror attacks in Azerbaijan including on an Israeli Embassy, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and a Synagogue. Tensions between regional and global powers escalate. Military activity, security alerts and travel disruptions continue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. was considering "winding down" its military operation against Iran, as Iran and Israel traded attacks on Saturday (21 March) and Iranian media said the nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz had been attacked.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that American forces could target Iranian power plants if the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and Iran, in return, warned that any attack on its energy infrastructure would trigger strikes on regional facilities.
Slovenia heads to the polls on Sunday (22 March) in a closely contested race between incumbent Prime Minister Robert Golob and right-wing former Prime Minister Janez Janša.
Italy is voting on 22 and 23 March in a judicial reform referendum that could reshape the justice system and test Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Iceland could reopen talks on joining the European Union after a 13-year pause, as shifting security concerns and renewed economic debate bring EU membership back to the centre of national politics.
Qatar has confirmed that seven people, including four of its military personnel and three Turkish nationals, were killed on Sunday (22 March) when a helicopter crashed in the country’s territorial waters.
Belgium has marked the 10th-anniversary of the 2016 Brussels terror attacks, remembering the victims of the country’s deadliest peacetime attack and reflecting on changes to national security.
A drone attack on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, has killed at least 64 people and injured 89 more, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Saturday.
Cuba’s national power grid went down on Saturday, cutting electricity for millions, officials said. The outage marks the second nationwide blackout in a week and the third major grid failure in March.
A British nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly taken up position in the Arabian Sea, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday (21 March). The deployment gives the UK the ability to carry out long-range strikes if tensions in the Gulf escalate.
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