With the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department expected to submit its position on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon in his criminal trial, Justice Minister Yariv Levin plans to delegate the matter to Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit.
Levin believes he will face attempts to block him from dealing with the pardon request, due to his close ties to the premier, according to comments published by Ynet, Channel 12 and other Hebrew outlets.
To avoid delays amid claims of conflict of interest, the minister has decided to transfer the opinion to Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who handles cases in which the minister is recused, according to the reports.
The Pardons Department’s recommendation is unknown at this time, but Levin and Eliyahu are expected to back Netanyahu’s request regardless.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 9, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
