Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on 7 December that he will not retire from political life in exchange for a pardon in his criminal cases.
When asked by a reporter if he will retire in order to obtain the pardon, Netanyahu responded “No.”
“They’re very concerned with my future. They want to make sure that — how shall I say this? — They’re concerned with my future,” the premier said.
“Well, so are the voters, and they’ll decide, obviously, but we have big tasks to do, including with Germany in historic cooperation that will actually, actually will, in many ways, tower over our previous cooperation, which was quite amazing, but that’s not surprising, because, as you can see, Chancellor Merz is a towering figure,” he added.
The Israeli prime minister has been accused of and charged with fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three separate cases filed in 2019. He faces a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.
After the start of the genocide in Gaza, Netanyahu’s trial was put on hold before resuming in early December 2023.
The prime minister submitted a formal pardon request to Israeli President Isaac Herzog late last month. Netanyahu’s lawyer sent an official letter and 111 pages of documents to the president.
According to a report by Axios released at the start of December, Netanyahu has asked US President Donald Trump for more help to receive a pardon from Herzog.
Last month, Trump sent an official letter to Herzog calling on him to issue a pardon for Netanyahu.
“Everybody understands that any pre-emptive pardon has to be considered on the merits,” Herzog told POLITICO on Saturday, vowing to “deal with it with utter seriousness.”
“I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion … But Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country, and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements. The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority,” Herzog added.
Netanyahu’s comments at the press conference on Sunday come after Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said any pardon must be conditional on Netanyahu’s admission of guilt and his retirement from politics.
A recent poll conducted for the Times of Israel’s Hebrew site said a majority of Israelis oppose granting Netanyahu a pardon without his admission of guilt.
“The prime minister will not admit guilt,” Netanyahu’s aides told Hebrew media last week.
Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad said “Granting this request will allow the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities, and energy to advancing Israel in these critical times and to dealing with the challenges and opportunities that lie before it.”