Bangs my head: Netanyahu asked for clemency
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a request for amnesty to President Yitzhak Herzog. Over the past six years, he has been accused of several corruption cases. The head of government denies his involvement in them. Netanyahu is actively supported by American leader Donald Trump, who also asked for a pardon for the Israeli politician. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Two letters to the office
The office of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, through his lawyer, submitted an official request for clemency.
Now, according to the rules, she has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice, which, according to representatives of the head of state, "will collect the opinions of all relevant bodies of the ministry, and then send their recommendations to the legal adviser" in the presidential office. She will prepare her conclusion, on the basis of which the Duke will make a final decision.
The petition contains two letters, one 111 pages long, submitted by a lawyer, the second signed by Netanyahu himself. In particular, it says that the politician has no doubt: "the completion of the trial will contribute to reducing the level of tension in the public discussion that has flared up around this court."
"This decision was made by me and is dictated by the Prime Minister's sense of responsibility for the fate of the country," he concluded.
In addition, Netanyahu addressed the nation, saying that the criminal case against him had divided the country and a pardon would help restore national unity.
"The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from the inside, fueling strife and deepening the schism. I am sure, like many others, that the immediate termination of the case will help significantly reduce the heat of passion. I expect that anyone who puts the welfare of the state above all else will support this step," the head of government stressed.
According to Netanyahu, one of the reasons that prompted him to apply for clemency was the court's requirement to interrogate him in a corruption case three times a week.
In his letter, the prime minister's lawyer appeals to the president's "sense of national responsibility and his commitment to the welfare of the state."
The amnesty request appeared before the court announced its decision. At the same time, Netanyahu himself has repeatedly said that he is not going to ask for clemency if it means admitting his guilt.
Fit in for Netanyahu
The President of Israel has the right to pardon persons sentenced by the court, in rare cases, even before the end of the trial, if this action is recognized as "appropriate to the public interest."
Since 2019, the prime minister has been accused of fraud, abuse of trust and corruption. It's about receiving expensive gifts from influential businessmen — cigars and champagne worth tens of thousands of dollars — in exchange for advancing their interests.
Netanyahu is also suspected of helping media moguls in exchange for favorable media coverage of his and his family's activities. The prime minister himself denies guilt, and at the moment he has not been convicted of any of the charges.
In November, US President Donald Trump sent a letter to his Israeli counterpart asking him to stop the criminal prosecution of Netanyahu in the corruption case. The American leader called the case against the prime minister unfair and politically motivated. He also added that Netanyahu is a "resolute wartime prime minister" who is leading the country towards peace.
Luisa Khlebnikova, a senior researcher at the Department of Israel and Jewish Communities at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, notes that the issue of pardoning Netanyahu is currently being discussed by the whole of Israel. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, for example, believes that the president cannot pardon the prime minister "without an admission of guilt, remorse and immediate retirement from politics."
— The Duke has time to respond, by the way, he used to be a political opponent of Netanyahu. Now the president has quite important functions in the country: issuing a mandate to form a coalition; individual pardons, and he also performs ceremonial functions," the expert explained.
According to her, under the previous president Reuven Rivlin, the head of state also began to play the role of a unifier in a divided country.
The question is whether Yitzhak Herzog will repeat the fate of his father Chaim Herzog, who was president of Israel from 1983 to 1993. He granted clemency to the Shabak internal intelligence officers during a highly controversial case.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog
In 1984, a bus traveling from Tel Aviv to Ashkelon was hijacked by terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Israel conducted an operation to free the hostages, during which one of the captured women died. The attackers were eliminated, and it later became clear that two of the terrorists were alive at the time of their arrest, but they were stoned to death.
To conceal this fact, the Shabak falsified documents, but information about this lynching leaked to the media anyway, investigations, dismissals, and resignations followed. As a result, the president pardoned the internal intelligence officers, and the Supreme Court confirmed this decision.
Yes, but under certain conditions
Beni Briskin, an Israeli political scientist and former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noted in an interview with Izvestia that it is still difficult to predict whether the president will agree to pardon Netanyahu.
— I think there are such chances, because the Duke is a man who does not initiate any things, but follows the agenda. This topic is important now, and there are chances, but still a lot will depend on how the Israeli society reacts to it," the political scientist believes.
According to the expert, if the president feels that he is ready to accept this, he will meet Netanyahu's request.
"If there is too much resistance, especially from the camp of the coalition parties, then, of course, there will be no pardon," the expert is sure.
Israeli media, citing sources, reported that Yitzhak Herzog is going to grant Netanyahu's request, however, under certain conditions that have not yet been announced.
At the same time, according to media reports, it's not just about steps directly related to the prime minister. We can talk about demanding the immediate resignation of the head of government and the freezing of all draft laws on judicial reform. At the same time, the president may not require Netanyahu to permanently retire from politics, reserving for him the right to run in the next elections.
It may take about two months to consider the Prime Minister's request for clemency.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
