Israel's president says he wants a deal reached in Netanyahu case before pardon decision

JERUSALEM: Israel’s president said on Sunday that he will consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request in his long-running corruption trial only ​after efforts to reach a plea deal are exhausted, signalling ‌no decision will come soon.

Netanyahu’s legal troubles, which began with investigations around a decade ago, have polarised Israelis and shaken national politics through five rounds of elections ​between 2019, the year of his indictment, to 2022. The ​next ballot is due by the end of October 2026.

Netanyahu ⁠denies the bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges.

President Isaac Herzog ​said on Sunday that a deal would be the best solution in ​Netanyahu’s case.
“The President therefore believes that before addressing the pardon request itself, efforts should first be exhausted to reach an agreement between the parties, outside the courtroom,” ​Herzog said in a statement.

Herzog’s office published it after a report ​by the New York Times said on Sunday that the president was planning to ‌initiate ⁠mediation for a plea bargain, putting off any pardon decision for now.

A spokesperson for Herzog declined to comment beyond the statement when asked whether any plea deal bid was underway. Netanyahu’s office did not respond ​to a request ​for comment.

Netanyahu submitted ⁠a pardon request in November. Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts. But there ​is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.

U.S. President ​Donald ⁠Trump has called on Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon several times, including in March, during the Iran war, when the trial was put on hold.

Netanyahu ⁠is ​due to return to court this week ​as the trial, which began in 2020, resumes. He is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to ​be charged with a crime.