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.
As climate pressures and urbanisation accelerate worldwide, governments are increasingly investing in smart cities and villages to build more sustaina...
Four people, including two schoolchildren, have died after a train collided with a school minivan at a level crossing in the northern Belgian town of ...
Japan and the United Nations Development Programme are launching a $3 million environmental project in Kazakhstan to support the Caspian Sea and impro...
Afghanistan has received a new $31.34 million disaster preparedness package and 320 tonnes of food aid from Uzbekistan ahead of Eid al-Adha....
UK shop price inflation rose to 1.2% in May from 1.0% in April as retailers continued to face mounting cost pressures across supply chains, according ...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal as a “stupid proposal,” saying Tehran failed to commit to abandoning its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while warning the fragile ceasefire was on “massive life support”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel aims to eventually end its reliance on U.S. financial military support within the next decade. The decision signals a long-term shift in the country’s defence policy as it seeks to deepen ties with Gulf states.
President Donald Trump's swift rejection of Iran's response to a U.S. peace proposal sent oil prices surging higher on Monday amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, keeping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz paralysed.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 25th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 26 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Tuesday morning (26 May), a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
UK shop price inflation rose to 1.2% in May from 1.0% in April as retailers continued to face mounting cost pressures across supply chains, according to new industry data.
Four people, including two schoolchildren, have died after a train collided with a school minivan at a level crossing in the northern Belgian town of Buggenhout on Tuesday morning, authorities have confirmed.
Seven people have died in France in incidents linked directly or indirectly to an ongoing early-summer heatwave, as large parts of western Europe continue to experience unusually high temperatures.
Thai-based cave divers have joined international efforts to rescue seven villagers trapped in a flooded gold mining cave in remote Laos after days of heavy rain cut off access underground.
Emergency teams rescued 320 tourists stranded in 65 cable cars in Kashmir after a gondola disruption triggered a six-hour evacuation operation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment