Pardon

Grapevine, March 27, 2026: A welcome break

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip. July 25, 2024.
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu giving a press conference, March 19, 2026.

Heritage Minister Eliyahu submits opinion on Netanyahu pardon request to Herzog

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the courtroom at the District Court in Tel Aviv, in the trial against him, October 15, 2025

Netanyahu’s press conference: A tactless defense of his trial allegations - opinion

US President Donald Trump enters the Knesset with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2025, in Jerusalem.

Trump calls Herzog 'disgrace,' urges him to pardon Netanyahu 'today' - N12


Netanyahu’s pardon push and the dangers facing Israel’s civic fabric - opinion

Netanyahu’s request for a preemptive pardon lacks a legal basis and risks deepening Israel’s political fractures as pressure grows to resolve his trial.

President Issaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend an event for outstanding soldiers on Independence Day this past year. Netanyahu has asked Herzog to take an impossible step, the writer maintains.

Middle Israel: Herzog must reject Netanyahu's cynical plea for a pardon - opinion

What Netanyahu gave President Herzog is a celebration of deceit and hypocrisy, penned by a PM who is promoting a draft-dodging bill and blocking an impartial inquiry of October 7.

Evidently inspired by history, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week sent President Isaac Herzog a pardon request reminiscent of the one Herzog’s father received in 1986, hoping the son might now do for him what his father once did for another Israeli leader.

The Deep Dive: Netanyahu requests for pardon in trial as one hostage remains in Gaza

Israel's hostage crisis nears its end, the country's prime minister tries to find an escape from his trial, and drama stirs with the Guinness World Records: This week’s Deep Dive breaks it all down.

(Left) Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court. (Right) Trump sits with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and President Isaac Herzog at a special parliamentary session, where the US leader called on Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.

My Word: Trials and errors, and granting pardons - opinion

Isaac Herzog has to contend with a tremendous dilemma regarding the pardon request. Like the trial itself, no result is going to be fully accepted and certainly not unifying.

WITH PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu at his side at Ben-Gurion Airport, US President Donald Trump concludes his trip to Israel in October.

Pardoning Netanyahu would weaken Israel, empower Trump's interference - opinion

AS Trump's poodle, a pardoned Netanyahu would be less free to speak up when he feels America’s actions go against Israel’s interests.

PRESIDENT ISAAC Herzog and US President Donald Trump in the Knesset in October: Granting Netanyahu a pardon and dropping all criminal charges against him would dangerously embolden Trump and weaken Herzog, the writer argues.

Netanyahu's pardon request: An act of sheer chutzpah, utter disrespect for democracy - opinion

President Herzog is indeed the last line of defense of an Israeli democracy shaken for the past three years by Netanyahu, who has consistently placed his personal interests above those of his country

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump share a warm moment in the Knesset in October 2025.

Stuck in the middle: How President Herzog handles Netanyahu will define his legacy - opinion

Isaac Herzog assumed the office amid the COVID pandemic, followed by judicial reform unrest, and a multi-front war. Now he has the challenge of whether to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Isaac Herzog hosts the President's Decoration Award Ceremony at the president house in Jerusalem. October 22, 2025.

Trump pardons former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez

"After nearly four years of pain, waiting, and difficult trials, my husband, Juan Orlando Hernandez, returned to being a free man," said Hernandez's wife, Ana Garcia.

Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during a joint message with US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acting Secretary Chad Wolf (not pictured), at the Presidential House in Tegucigalpa, Honduras January 9, 2020.

Will Netanyahu 'heal the nation' if he receives pardon from Herzog? - opinion

Israel deserves a legitimate October 7 inquiry and new elections, amid dramatic efforts to make amends and heal wounds.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend the dedication of a new rehab center at Hadassah Hospital-Mount Scopus in October. Pardon Netanyahu if he takes substantive steps to unite the nation, says the writer.

Netanyahu's pardon request throws Herzog into thick of Israel’s political divides - opinion

Seeking a pardon before a verdict – particularly when the defendant is the prime minister – creates an extraordinary situation that could destabilize the relations between the branches of government.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court. The pardon mechanism was never intended to serve as an alternative to a criminal trial, states the writer.