Corruption trial: Netanyahu seeks pardon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a letter via his lawyer to President Isaac Herzog asking for a pardon. In 2019 Netanyahu was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust - and of having received luxury gifts to the value of 174,000 euros, including jewellery, cigars and champagne. He recently claimed that pardoning him would promote the "reconciliation our country so desperately needs".
Unconditional amnesty not an option
The Israeli president stands before the most difficult decision of his life, Népszava observes:
“Donald Trump is famously undeterred by threats of any kind. ... The loss of US military and political backing would be tragic for Israel, and Herzog must bear this in mind. This Israeli president stands before the most difficult decision of his life. However, we can rule out him giving Netanyahu an unconditional pardon, because that would be a slap in the face of Israeli society, the rule of law and the judiciary. ... But he cannot risk Trump's fury. Herzog's Gordian knot cannot be severed. He will be forced to unpick it.”
It all hangs on the president now
Libertatea comments:
“The pardon request (according to the Israeli press) also stressed that cancelling the trial would be a defining moment in healing divisions in Israeli society. Among many other aspects related to the governing coalition's measures to subordinate the judiciary to politics, Prime Minister Netanyahu's pardon would also set a dangerous precedent regarding impunity for political decision-makers. Israeli society has proven that its immune system is strong enough to fight off the diseases of democracy. We just have to wait and see how President Herzog justifies 'the good of the state'.”
He belongs behind bars
For Politiken Netanyahu's attempt to obtain a pardon from the president is a sign of desperation:
“The fact that Netanyahu doesn't dare go to court to prove his innocence strongly suggests that he's guilty. The attempt to pressure the president into granting a pardon at a time when Israel's international reputation is at an all-time low due to the brutality of the Gaza war underscores his extreme egotism. ... Netanyahu's attempt to get a presidential pardon smacks of desperation. His government is on its last legs, and elections are due in less than a year. His era is coming to an end. Let's hope he lands behind bars - either in Israel or in The Hague.”
A whole chunk of chutzpah
Pravda points to Netanyahu's impudence:
“Israel's war in Gaza and the Middle East delayed the legal process. On Saturday, however, President Isaac Herzog received a letter from Netanyahu's lawyer making a formal request for a pardon. ... The sheer chutzpah of it! ... Head of the opposition Yair Lapid reminded the president that a pardon could not be granted without an admission of guilt. There are no legal grounds for a pardon. The only option is to put Netanyahu on trial, convict him and remove him from politics. Otherwise the state of Israel will have to recognise corruption as the basis of its functioning.”