Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked President Isaac Herzog to pardon him for bribery and fraud charges to end his five-year corruption trial.Netanyahu is facing three separate corruption cases filed in 2019: Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000, which involve allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.Here is what we know:What is Netanyahu’s argument?Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and claims the corruption trial is a “deep state” conspiracy, a politically orchestrated “witch-hunt” by rivals and the media.He has also argued that if he is pardoned, he will be able to strengthen Israel at a tumultuous time for the Middle East.The Israeli PM’s submission comes weeks after United States President Donald Trump urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.Netanyahu’s 111-page pardon request submitted to Herzog’s office refers to Trump’s earlier request.Analysts and observers posit that in his efforts to avoid the trials and possible conviction, Netanyahu has been extending and expanding Israel’s genocidal assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.Would Netanyahu have to admit guilt to be pardoned?In his pardon request, Netanyahu does not admit guilt or wrongdoing.Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu cannot be granted a pardon “without an admission of guilt, an expression of remorse, and an immediate retirement from political life”.However, legally, an admission of guilt is not required, Dana Blander, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, wrote in an article. Legally, there are no conditions for a pardon. Advertisement The pardon request will first be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice’s pardons …
