Netanyahu Rejects Retirement In Exchange For Pardon: 'Let Voters Decide'
In Israel there's talk of the scenario where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can receive a full pardon in his criminal corruption cases if he agrees retires from political life, and on Sunday he addressed this controversial proposal during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
When asked by a reporter if he will retire in order to obtain the pardon, Netanyahu shot back with a firm "No" - and then said, "They’re very concerned with my future. They want to make sure that - how shall I say this? - They’re concerned with my future."
"Well, so are the voters, and they'll decide, obviously, but we have big tasks to do, including with Germany in historic cooperation that will actually, actually will, in many ways, tower over our previous cooperation, which was quite amazing, but that’s not surprising, because, as you can see, Chancellor Merz is a towering figure," the prime minister added.
President Trump has tried to intervene in the long-running legal saga, but lately Netanyahu has expressed that he needs more support from Washington.
As Israeli President Herzog considers a pardon - which he's granted the legal power to do - he has explained to Politico: "Everybody understands that any pre-emptive pardon has to be considered on the merits." And so he has vowed to "deal with it with utter seriousness."
"I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion … But Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country, and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements. The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority," Herzog added, in a desire to distance himself from being viewed as under foreign influence.
"They're very concerned with my future," Bibi quipped before reporters in Germany...
Netanyahu was asked whether he would retire from political life in exchange for a pardon.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 7, 2025
He said no. pic.twitter.com/MqzRJ990ps
Back in January, Netanyahu began interrogation sessions connected to a series of cases - all of which he's asserted his innocence in. For a review:
- Case 1000 concerns allegations that Netanyahu and his wife accepted luxury gifts, such as cigars and champagne, from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors.
- Case 2000 involves claims that Netanyahu negotiated with Arnon Mozes, publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, to secure more favorable press coverage.
- Case 4000 — viewed as the most serious — centers on accusations that Netanyahu provided regulatory and financial benefits to Shaul Elovitch, the former owner of the Walla news site and Bezeq telecommunications, in return for positive media treatment.
Netanyahu has also long faced accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity - but pressure over this has mainly been on the international and European front, related to international criminal court probes.
President Trump has still firmly had his back, and has weighed in vocally in the case, asking Israel to dismiss all charges. At the same time there's only so much Washington can do, especially at a moment of deep internal turmoil in Israeli domestic politics.
PM Netanyahu formally submitted the pardon request to Herzog on November 30, sparking opposition backlash demanding that the president quickly shoot it down.