FUTURE OF JEWISH
Netanyahu just made the craziest move of his career
Joshua Hoffman
December 2, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon, submitted this past Sunday, marks one of the most consequential constitutional and political moments in Israel’s modern history. Five and a half years after his trial began (and nearly a decade after the initial investigations), Netanyahu has turned to President Isaac Herzog for intervention. For starters, Israel’s political system features a democratically elected prime minister who runs the government and makes executive decisions, as well as a president (appointed by Israel’s parliament) who serves as a largely ceremonial head of state with the power to grant pardons. Netanyahu faces three corruption cases: Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000. READ MORE

AXIOS Netanyahu asked Trump for more help in pardon push During a long phone call on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Trump for more support in his push for a pardon from Israel’s president, two U.S. officials and one Israeli official said. In a conversation that largely focused on Gaza and Syria, the leaders also discussed Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial. Trump has repeatedly intervened in Israel’s judicial process and domestic politics to push for an end to those proceedings. Last month, Trump sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog denouncing the charges against Netanyahu as “political lawfare” and calling on Herzog to issue a pardon.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Without confession of guilt, Netanyahu’s pardon request a Hail Mary, experts say High Court precedent indicates that either a conviction or a mea culpa is needed for president to issue a free pass, but Herzog and lawyers could aim for a conditional compromise