Likud ministers ask Herzog to pardon Netanyahu news

Ministers of the Israeli Likud Party signed a letter they sent to President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday, calling on him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and end his trial in corruption cases.

In addition to being wanted by the International Criminal Court, Netanyahu faces charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three files that would require his imprisonment if convicted. These charges stem from an indictment filed by former government attorney Avichai Mendelblit in November 2019.

According to Israeli media, Environmental Protection Minister Aidit Selman went to Herzog carrying a letter signed by all 14 ministers of the Likud led by Netanyahu to request his pardon, claiming that “this step comes out of the clear national need to enable the prime minister to devote himself fully to state affairs.”

The Turkish Anatolia News Agency says that the discussion about the possibility of pardoning Netanyahu gained momentum after US President Donald Trump, during his speech in the Knesset on October 13, requested that of Herzog.

At that time, Trump said to Herzog: “Why don’t you grant Bibi (Netanyahu) a pardon? In times of war, who cares about cigars and champagne?”, referring to gifts that Netanyahu received in violation of the law in exchange for providing facilities to businessmen.

He refuses to plead guilty

Two days ago, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said: “With regard to the option of a presidential pardon, which President Trump referred to, it is not being discussed currently, nor is a plea agreement proposed, because both require a confession from Netanyahu himself,” noting that he refuses to admit guilt in any of the cases in which he is being tried.

Netanyahu’s trial in these cases began in 2020, and he denies the validity of the charges against him, and claims that it is a “political campaign aimed at overthrowing him.”

In addition to his trial locally, on November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.

Since October 10, there has been a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to the plan of Trump, whose country has supported the genocidal war in Gaza since October 8, 2023.
This genocide in Gaza left 68,229 Palestinian martyrs and 170,369 injured, most of them children and women, and caused destruction that affected 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure.