Israeli premier appears before court for 1st time since requesting pardon in corruption trial

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday for the first time since he requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog in his corruption trial.

On Sunday, Netanyahu asked the Israeli president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges that have pursued him for many years.

The request sparked divisions in Israel, as many opposed granting a pardon unless Netanyahu admits guilt and withdraws from political life.

According to Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu’s trial session began Monday “without the judges addressing the pardon request.”

The channel added that the Israeli premier requested the cancellation of his court appearance on Tuesday, citing “diplomatic and security schedules.”

Judges said they would consider the request, the broadcaster said.

Netanyahu has repeatedly sought to cancel or shorten his court sessions, citing travel, security and political reasons, or his preoccupation with Israel’s two-year military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, whose trial began on May 24, 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history. He faces three separate cases of corruption, all of which the Israeli premier denies.

The Israeli premier also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.