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Israeli President Isaac Herzog may present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a proposal for a plea deal or a conditional agreement that would end his ongoing corruption trial, Israeli media reported, following the prime minister's request for a pardon.
Rather than immediately accepting or rejecting Netanyahu's request, Channel 12 reports that Herzog is leaning toward answering with "Yes, but" and offering the prime minister a conditional deal, potentially including an admission of wrongdoing, restrictions on Netanyahu's future political activity, or other conditions.
This change comes amid what sources describe as a recent softening of Herzog's stance on the idea of ending the long-running corruption trial through an agreed framework.
President Isaac Herzog's office called the request "unusual" and with "significant implications," but stressed that the request would go through the appropriate filters before a decision was made.
"The request will be forwarded to the competent department of the Ministry of Justice, according to usual practice, relevant opinions will be collected, which will then be submitted to the legal advisor to the president, who will draft the final recommendation to the president ," the statement said.
Similarly, public broadcaster Kan reports that, as Herzog considers Netanyahu's request, he will also work to revive negotiations for a plea deal.
Any such deal would require the prime minister to admit guilt, which he has shown no willingness to do in his request to Herzog. It is expected that Herzog will need several weeks to present his response to Netanyahu on the matter.
Netanyahu's lawyers argue that the president can intervene when the public interest is at stake, saying that a pardon would serve to "heal divisions" and strengthen national unity.
On the other hand, opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Netanyahu should not accept a pardon without admitting guilt, expressing remorse and immediately withdrawing from political life. Opposition politician Yair Golan, a former deputy army chief, also urged the president not to approve the pardon and called on Netanyahu to resign.
In the face of this criticism, Netanyahu's allies in the ruling coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, publicly expressed support for the pardon request.
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