For years, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been facing a corruption trial. He is accused, among other things, of accepting gifts. He denies this and now wants to stop the proceedings by granting a pardon. What will the president do?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, has officially requested a pardon. His office confirmed that the request has been received by President Isaac Herzog. The request consists of a letter from Netanyahu and a letter from his lawyer. It will now be forwarded to a relevant department within the Ministry of Justice, which will gather the opinions of all relevant authorities. Based on this information, the legal team in the President's office will formulate a position.

Netanyahu explained in a video message that he had actually wanted to see the trial through to the end, but the situation in the country now required a different course of action. An immediate end to the proceedings would"advance the urgently needed national reconciliation."

Herzog reserves the right to make a conscientious decision

Most recently, US President Donald Trump called on Herzog to pardon Netanyahu. He respects the independence of the Israeli judiciary, but believes the charges are politically motivated and unjustified, according to a letter to the Israeli president signed by Trump. Herzog's office released the letter.

Herzog had said in the past that no one is above the law, but he reserved the right to act according to his conscience in such matters.

Charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Among other things, he is accused of granting favors to the telecommunications giant Bezeq while serving as communications minister. In return, the company's media outlet, Walla, allegedly reported favorably on Netanyahu. He is also accused of offering to weaken the rival newspaper publisher Arnon Moses in exchange for positive coverage.

Netanyahu is also accused of accepting luxury gifts worth approximately 700,000 shekels (around €174,000) from billionaire friends, including jewelry, cigars, and champagne. In return for these gifts, the indictment alleges that Netanyahu championed a law that would have saved Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan millions in taxes.

Netanyahu rejects all accusations.