Netanyahu says a pardon for him in corruption trial would be in ‘national interest’

In a video statement released shortly after submitting his pardon request to President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is in Israel’s national interest that his six-year-long corruption trial end.

“Nearly a decade has passed since the investigations against me began,” says Netanyahu. “The trial in these matters has been ongoing for almost six years, and it is expected to continue for many more years.”

Netanyahu alleges that it is becoming increasingly clear that “serious crimes” were committed in building the case against him, and stresses that his own interest remains seeing the legal process through until he is cleared of all charges.

“But the security and diplomatic reality — the national interest — demand otherwise,” says Netanyahu.

“Israel is facing enormous challenges, and alongside them great opportunities. To repel the threats and realize the opportunities, national unity is required,” he argues, contending that the trial’s continuation “tears us apart from within. It stirs divisions and deepens rifts. I am certain, as are many others in the nation, that an immediate end to the trial would greatly help lower the flames and promote broad reconciliation — something our country desperately needs.”

He says that he decided to move ahead with the request because he was recently required by the judges to testify three times a week.

US President Donald Trump’s recent letter to Herzog requesting a pardon was another factor, says Netanyahu.

“President Trump called for an immediate end to the trial so that, together with him, I could advance even more vigorously the vital interests shared by Israel and the United States, within a time window that may never return,” he says.

“I have been elected time after time in democratic elections, and I have received your trust to continue serving as Israel’s prime minister,” he says, “first and foremost to fulfill these historic goals. For these reasons, my attorneys have today submitted a request for a pardon to the president. I expect that all those who have the good of the country in mind will support this step.”