Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial facing corruption charges, announced on Sunday that he has submitted a formal pardon request.
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Netanyahu argued in a video statement that the long-running cases were actively “tearing the country apart.”
Netanyahu, who has consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings, noted that the trial has been ongoing for nearly six years and is expected to continue for many more.
He explained his desire to see the process through until acquittal, but claimed that the “security and political reality—the national interest—dictate otherwise.”
The Prime Minister’s submission follows a move earlier this month by US President Donald Trump, who wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu.
The cases against Netanyahu have become a deep source of division in Israeli society, with his supporters dismissing the trials as entirely politically motivated.
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