Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s residence in Tel Aviv has been surrounded by enraged crowds of Israelis protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a full pardon from corruption charges.
The protest on Sunday night occurred shortly after Netanyahu, 76, unsuccessfully sought pardon from the president during his long-running corruption trial.
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At the protest outside Herzog’s private residence, opposition lawmakers, including Naama Lazimi, demanded that he reject the request and joined dozens of activists who were protesting the phrase “Pardon = Banana Republic.”
While others stood behind a large pile of bananas and a sign with the word “pardon” on it, one protester donned the role of Netanyahu in an orange prison-style jumpsuit.
Shikma Bressler, a well-known anti-government activist, demanded that his trial be completely canceled without taking any responsibility or reimbursing himself for how he destroyed this nation.
She continued, “Israelis are aware of what is at stake, and the future of our nation is invincible.”
The longest-serving prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases.
In one instance, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting from billionaires in exchange for political favors in exchange for more than $ 260, 000 worth of luxury goods, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne. In two other cases, he is accused of trying to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.
Netanyahu refutes the allegations, and his attorneys wrote to the president’s office in a 111-page letter that the prime minister still believed the legal proceedings would lead to a total acquittal.
Netanyahu stated in a brief video statement that he wanted to “see the process through,” but that “the national interest and political reality impose otherwise.”
He continued, “The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, causing fierce divisions, and aggravateing rifts.”
Herzog’s office confirmed that it had heard from Netanyahu.
This is a unique request that has significant implications. The president will take the request seriously and sincerely after receiving all relevant opinions,” it said.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) is looking into Netanyahu besides the domestic allegations. The ICC issued arrest warrants for former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the genocidal war in Gaza in November 2024.
Nearly 171,000 people have been injured in Israel’s war against Palestinians, including nearly 70 000 of whom are mostly women and children.
Netanyahu’s request for pardon comes just one week after Donald Trump retorted against Herzog during a speech to Israel’s parliament last month.
Trump also wrote to Herzog earlier this month, praising the corruption case as a “political, unjustified prosecution.”
In Israel, pardons typically only come after a defendant’s legal case is overturned and proven guilty. The request of Netanyahu sparked a backlash right away.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, claimed that Netanyahu should not be pardoned without first renouncing his crimes, expressing regret, and abruptly stepping down from politics.
Former deputy commander of the military, Yair Golan, a member of the opposition, demanded resignation from the prime minister and pleaded with the president not to grant a pardon.
Golan said that “only the guilty seek pardon.”
A pardon of a prime minister accused of serious fraud and breach of trust, according to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, would send a clear message that no one is above the law.
‘Liability’
Ami Dror, a protester, claimed the president’s job was to “protect Israeli democracy,” and that if law and order are destroyed, Israeli democracy might end.
In addition to the statements made by Coalition allies, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu’s request for a pardon was supported.
A corrupt judicial system, according to Smotrich, has been prosecuting Netanyahu for years, and Israel Katz, the defense minister, said a pardon would end the “deep rift that has accompanied Israeli society for almost a decade.
Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera who was based in Doha, described Netanyahu as a “liability for Israel.”
“Israel has honed its status as the Middle East’s unique democracy for decades. Yes, there are procedural democratic institutions in Israel, and even that has slowly and steadily slowed down under Netanyahu.
Bishara criticized Netanyahu’s “crusade” against Israel’s judiciary, including the Supreme Court, prior to the war’s end, noting that the actions had sparked widespread anti-government protests in Israel.
He therefore has a problem with liberal democracy, institutions, and legality. He led Israel into a genocidal war, which is the subject of international court of justice proceedings, according to Bishara, who has since been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
The man is a criminal, he says. He is a fugitive from abroad, and as a result, Israel’s economy won’t recover as a result. As long as he is prime minister, the analyst said, “Israel’s society will not heal, and the war will not end.”
