President Herzog defers Netanyahu pardon decision until plea deal negotiations conclude

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday, April 26, that he will not decide now on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon, choosing instead to wait until negotiations over a possible plea bargain in the corruption case have been fully pursued.

 

The president’s statement indicates that a pardon is not imminent. Netanyahu is on trial on charges that include bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, and Herzog linked the timing of any decision to whether a plea agreement path is exhausted.

 

Herzog also signaled a preference for a negotiated resolution, saying he views a plea deal as the best outcome for the case. Under Israeli law, the president has authority to grant pardons to people who have been convicted, but there is no precedent for issuing a presidential pardon while a trial is still underway, according to the details provided.

 

Netanyahu submitted his pardon request in November. His trial began in 2020 and is set to resume this week, keeping the legal process in the foreground of Israeli politics as the proceedings move forward.

 

The case has been a long-running and polarising issue in Israel. Investigations began roughly ten years ago and led to Netanyahu’s indictment in 2019, developments that have contributed to deep divisions across Israeli society.

 

Those divisions have also intersected with electoral politics. The legal saga has been described as a significant factor across five national elections held between 2019 and 2022, underscoring how the trial has remained a recurring issue for voters and political parties over multiple election cycles.

 

The next general election is scheduled for late October 2026. With the trial due to restart this week and the president deferring any pardon decision, the immediate focus remains on the court process and whether plea bargain discussions advance or stall.

 

One key uncertainty is the outcome of plea deal negotiations and how quickly they may conclude. Another is whether any future pardon request could be considered in a different procedural posture, given the stated absence of precedent for pardoning a defendant during an ongoing trial.

 

Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face criminal charges, a fact that continues to shape the political and institutional stakes around the case as it returns to court.