00:00Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the country's president for a pardon
00:06in his long-running corruption trial. In a video statement released on Sunday,
00:11he said the criminal proceedings were hindering his ability to govern and that a pardon would
00:15be good for Israel. Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, denies the
00:21charges he faces of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His lawyer said in a letter to President
00:26Isaac Herzog's office that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings would result
00:31in a complete acquittal. In response, opposition leader Yair Lapid argued Netanyahu cannot be
00:38pardoned without admitting guilt. In a video addressing the president, he said Netanyahu
00:43must also express remorse and immediately retire from political life. The case has drawn the
00:49attention of a powerful ally. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog this month urging him to
00:54consider pardoning Netanyahu. Pardons in Israel are typically granted only after legal proceedings
01:01have ended and the accused has been convicted. However, Netanyahu's lawyers argued the president
01:07can intervene when public interest is at stake. They said the cases against Netanyahu had deepened
01:13societal divisions and that ending the trial was necessary for national reconciliation. They also
01:19said the increasingly frequent court hearings were a burden to the prime minister's attempts to govern.
01:24Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three separate but related cases. They center around accusations
01:31that he granted favors to prominent business figures in exchange for gifts and sympathetic media coverage.
01:38President Herzog's office described Netanyahu's request as extraordinary with significant
01:43implications. It said the president will responsibly and sincerely consider the request
01:49after receiving relevant opinions.
01:54I .
01:56üler시
01:57took a report to those of the the
01:58of the French police chief and that civil Indian NAUERT
02:00have been tweeted in the mid-year-old.
02:02?
02:03awake
02:05re
02:07they
02:07?
02:07see
02:09Å‘
02:10their
Comments