Jerusalem (HRNW)– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wrote an apology letter to the country’s president seeking to drop corruption cases, has for the first time reacted to the idea of leaving politics in exchange for a pardon.
According to global news reports, after the apology, debate intensified over whether Netanyahu should retire from politics if the corruption cases were dropped. The opposition party urged the Israeli president that any pardon should be conditional on Netanyahu permanently exiting politics.
However, Netanyahu has firmly stated that he will neither plea bargain nor leave politics in the ongoing corruption cases. He expressed these views during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, mocking the opposition by saying they seem overly concerned about his future, which will be decided solely by the people.
Netanyahu has been indicted on bribery charges in one case since 2020, along with fraud and breach of trust charges in three other cases. He is accused of influencing the media and interfering in government decisions in exchange for valuable gifts, though hearings have been stalled since the Israel-Hamas war.
Last week, Netanyahu requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzwig without admitting any crime or expressing remorse. It may take several weeks or months for the president to decide on the request. A recent survey showed that 53.2 percent of Israeli citizens oppose granting Netanyahu a pardon without a confession of guilt, while 42.4 percent supported it and 4.4 percent had no opinion.
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