Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a formal pardon from President Isaac Herzog in his long-running corruption cases, for the sake of ‘national unity’. Israel’s opposition says Netanyahu must admit guilt and resign.
Published On 30 Nov 202530 Nov 2025
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Published On 30 Nov 202530 Nov 2025
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested presidential pardon amid ongoing corruption cases.
The Israeli president’s office on Sunday said Netanyahu submitted a request for pardon to President Isaac Herzog.
Netanyahu is up against three separate cases of corruption filed in 2019, which include allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
“The Office of the President is aware that this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications. After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request,” Herzog’s office said in a statement.
Netanyahu’s request comes as US President Donald Trump pushes Herzog to pardon Netanyahu in the cases in question. Herzog also received a letter from Trump earlier in November, urging him to consider the pardon.
During Trump’s visit to Israel in October, he had also urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu in an address to the Israeli parliament.
The Israeli prime minister is also wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC). In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.
The graft cases against him include allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen.
Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances.
However, Netanyahu’s trial, which began in 2020, has yet to be concluded.
In a videotaped statement, Netanyahu said the trial has divided the country and that a pardon would help restore national unity. He also said the requirement that he appear in court three times a week is a distraction that makes it difficult for him to lead the country.
Netanyahu’s request consisted of two documents – a detailed letter signed by his lawyer and a letter signed by Netanyahu. They will be sent to the justice ministry for opinions and will then be transferred to the Legal Advisor in the Office of the President, which will formulate additional opinions for the president.
US President Donald Trump called the corruption trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘political, unjustified prosecution’ as he requested the country’s president pardon him. However, under Israeli law, such a request can only be made by the person accused of wrongdoing, a legal representative, or a family member.
Published On 12 Nov 202512 Nov 2025
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About 200 Hamas fighters remain trapped in Rafah tunnels as Israel refuses to grant them passage, threatening the truce.
Published On 10 Nov 202510 Nov 2025
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US mediator Jared Kushner has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the fragile US-backed ceasefire in Gaza.
Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump who helped broker the agreement, met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as part of US efforts to stabilise the tenuous truce.
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The meeting comes a month after Washington and regional powers pushed Israel to agree to a ceasefire. The truce has partly halted two years of Israeli bombardment, which levelled much of Gaza and killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities.
The talks focused on some of the most contentious elements of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s two-year war on the Palestinian territory, according to Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian.
The officials discussed plans for the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international security forces and the establishment of a technocratic government in the territory that excludes Hamas, she said.
Hamas has repeatedly insisted that relinquishing its weapons is a red line.
Addressing Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, Netanyahu promised that Gaza would be “demilitarised, either the easy way or the hard way”, in what was a thinly veiled threat to escalate the war.
A key point of contention remains a group of roughly 200 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah, an area still controlled by Israeli forces. Hamas has demanded their safe passage to Gaza’s interior, but Israel has refused.
The US’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, described the proposal to grant the fighters safe passage in exchange for disarmament as “a test case” for the broader peace plan.
A Hamas official confirmed that negotiations over the issue were ongoing, saying the group was eager to resolve the dispute “to remove any pretext Israel could use to undermine the ceasefire agreement”.
However, he ruled out surrendering the fighters. Another Palestinian source speaking to Reuters warned that any Israeli attempt to forcibly extract them could risk the entire truce.
Beyond the immediate crisis, the ceasefire also requires agreement on a transitional governing council for Gaza excluding Hamas, the formation of the proposed stabilisation force, and conditions for reconstruction and disarmament. Each of these steps is expected to face resistance from both Hamas and Israel, given the political and security implications.
The proposed international force could require a United Nations mandate before deployment, and few nations have expressed willingness to participate without one. Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye are among the potential contributors.
However, the United Arab Emirates has signalled hesitation. “Under such circumstances, the UAE will probably not participate in such a force,” Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate Forum.
Turkiye accuses Israeli officials of ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ over Israel’s war on Gaza.
Published On 7 Nov 20257 Nov 2025
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Turkiye says it has issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
Among 37 suspects listed are Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a Friday statement from the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, which did not publish the complete list.
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Turkiye has accused the officials of “genocide and crimes against humanity” that Israel has “perpetrated systematically” in its war on Gaza since October 2023.
“The October 17, 2023, attack on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital claimed 500 lives; on February 29, 2024, Israeli soldiers deliberately destroyed medical equipment; … Gaza was placed under blockade, and victims were denied access to humanitarian aid,” it said.
The statement also refers to the “Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital”, built by Turkiye in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.
Israel denounced the move as a “PR stunt”.
“Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X.
The Palestinian group Hamas welcomed the announcement, calling it a “commendable measure [confirming] the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people”.
Turkiye’s announcement comes almost one year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged “war crimes”.
Turkiye last year also joined South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians and wounded 170,679 since October 2023.