In a pointed rebuttal to swirling rumors, Israel’s Attorney General’s office announced Friday that it has not yet probed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial request for a presidential pardon amid his corruption trials. The clarification, relayed through local outlets like The Times of Israel, counters a Channel 13 report hinting at a forthcoming rejection recommendation.
Netanyahu submitted his formal plea to President Isaac Herzog last November, seeking relief from fraud, bribery, and trust violation accusations without conceding wrongdoing. This gambit represents a bold maneuver to halt a trial that has ensnared his tenure since its inception.
Procedural norms dictate that the AG will deliberate thoroughly before forwarding views to the pardons authority, which in turn counsels the president. Analysts highlight that pre-verdict absolutions are anomalies, seldom approved absent a confession.
As Netanyahu navigates a gauntlet of investigations, this revelation could stoke fresh political infernos. Herzog, maintaining composure, vows to deliberate all inputs judiciously.
Enter US President Donald Trump, who, immediately post-Netanyahu summit last week, decried any pardon refusal as shameful. Echoing a prior letter from last year, Trump labeled the prosecutions as partisan witch-hunts.
Herzog, in a Politico interview, balanced personal affinity for Trump with staunch defense of sovereignty. ‘Our legal framework demands respect and insulation from abroad,’ he stated, elevating national integrity above persuasive entreaties in this unfolding saga.