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https://www.rt.com/news/629098-israel-netanyahu-asks-pardon/

Netanyahu asks for pardon: Desperation or political calculation?

The Israeli PM wants to be absolved of his corruption charges; is he preparing for a clean exit or a fight with the rising opposition?

Israel’s domestic political life is boiling over. Against the backdrop of war, disputes over the limits of executive power, and a deepening crisis of trust in state institutions, the country appears to be edging toward a major political transformation. This is hardly surprising. Large-scale shifts are visible across the region and at the global level of international affairs, where older models of stability are breaking down and competition between strategies and identities is intensifying.

An additional catalyst has been the unprecedented story of the official pardon request that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted to President Isaac Herzog. Seeking to halt the corruption trial against him, Netanyahu framed the move as a step that could ease social polarization and free him to focus on leading the country. The President’s Office acknowledged the extraordinary nature of the request, said it would be carefully reviewed after receiving legal opinions, and released the relevant documents, including an extensive legal brief.

A key international dimension is that in November, US President Donald Trump sent Herzog a letter urging him to grant Netanyahu a full pardon, arguing that the court proceedings distract the prime minister at a critical moment. Politically, this can be read as more than a simple gesture of support. In Washington, especially after several turbulent episodes in 2025, there may be a growing sense that Netanyahu’s status and political vulnerability have become a significant source of instability and a risk to the US approach aimed at de-escalation and a longer-term settlement in Gaza. This interpretation also surfaces in expert discussions noting that the White House has had to restrain Israel’s leadership from undermining arrangements for the sake of domestic political survival.

Viewed in the wider regional context of 2025, the US has also faced an increasingly alarming security backdrop. This includes the Israel-Iran Twelve-Day War in June, which sharply altered the strategic landscape. Analysts have also debated the autumn strike on Doha as a highly sensitive precedent for the security of US allies in the Gulf and for the credibility of American guarantees. Within this framework, the idea that Trump seeks to avoid entangling the US in new, unwanted conflicts – and therefore may see Netanyahu’s legal and political incentives as a risk factor – appears politically plausible, even if Washington’s official language remains more cautious.

Netanyahu and his coalition do not seem to be in the strongest position. The war and its political fallout, the dispute over Haredi conscription, and the approaching budget deadline are all tightening internal pressure. The 2026 budget must pass the Knesset by the end of March 2026; otherwise, the law automatically triggers a scenario leading to early elections, even though the next regular elections are already scheduled for October 2026.

Against this backdrop, opposition leader Yair Lapid is increasingly stepping into the spotlight. He is working to align himself with Israel’s traditional foreign-policy partners and with more moderate domestic allies in an effort to pull the country out of growing isolation and to secure a base of support should early elections take place in 2026. This is also reflected in the way Lapid systematically uses the parliamentary platform and the international agenda, including pressure on the government over the framework of the US plan for Gaza – an area where Netanyahu’s coalition has often preferred to avoid a public display of unity.

Speaking about the regime’s growing international isolation, Lapid said Israel continues to endure the most serious political crisis in its history, and that the current situation reflects a loss of control on the part of the present government. According to media reports, he also linked this trend to the expanding international recognition of Palestine and to the consequences of economic and investment pressure, citing decisions by major players such as Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, which in 2025 began and later widened the exclusion of a number of Israeli companies and banks from its portfolio on ethical grounds. At home, the negative backdrop for Netanyahu is reinforced by polling data. In October, Israel’s Channel 12 recorded a significant share of respondents (52%) who do not want to see him as a candidate in the next election.

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