Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former defense attorney said Sunday that the premier’s request for a presidential pardon cannot legally move forward unless he first admits guilt in the corruption charges he faces.
“A pardon is given to an offender,” attorney Micah Fettman told Channel 12, noting that Israeli law and precedent require acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Fettman referenced the 1984 Bus 300 affair, when President Chaim Herzog issued pardons only after Shin Bet agents admitted guilt—an important comparison, given that the current president, Isaac Herzog, is Chaim’s son.
Netanyahu’s 111-page pardon request includes no such admission. Instead, he continues to argue the charges—bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three cases—are politically motivated. His trial, which began in 2020, remains far from conclusion.
The request has sparked protests outside the president’s residence, with demonstrators urging Herzog to reject it. Herzog has denied reports that he is leaning toward a conditional pardon but said he is seeking a formal legal opinion.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, currently the leading candidate to replace Netanyahu, said he supports a pardon only if Netanyahu retires from politics, arguing the country must “step back from the brink.”
Reports in Israeli media suggest Herzog may pursue either a conditional pardon or renewed plea-deal talks requiring a guilty plea—a move that could bar Netanyahu from political life. Sources close to Netanyahu insist he will accept nothing short of an unconditional pardon and otherwise intends to fight the charges to acquittal.
Herzog is expected to take several weeks before issuing a formal response.
