[[{"content_id":411268,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"Protests erupt in Tel Aviv as corruption-plagued Netanyahu seeks pardon","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"The Zionist regime’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon from his long-running corruption charges has been met with public contempt and political condemnation.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"Protesters outside the residence of the regime&rsquo;s president, Isaac Herzog, denounced the maneuver as an assault on the rule of law, waving signs beneath a large pile of bananas labeled &quot;Pardon,&quot; equating the move to a &quot;Banana Republic.&quot;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNetanyahu, 76, formally petitioned President Herzog for clemency, seeking to escape potential imprisonment if he is ultimately convicted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor years, the Zionist regime&#39;s leader had refused to request a pardon, as Israeli law typically requires an admission of guilt.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nReports indicate his current plea omits any clear confession of wrongdoing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a video statement justifying his political lifeline, Netanyahu claimed that &quot;the security reality, the political situation, and the national interest&quot; forced his hand.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nProtesters gathered outside of Israeli regime&rsquo;s president Isaac Herzog&rsquo;s house in Tel Aviv, demanding that he reject Netanyahu&rsquo;s request for a pardon in the three corruption charges against him.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHe argued that the ongoing trial &quot;tears us apart&quot; and deepens domestic divisions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOpposition figures united in demanding that Herzog reject the request unless Netanyahu meets two critical conditions: a full admission of guilt and a permanent exit from political life.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOpposition Leader Yair Lapid stated that clemency should only be granted if Netanyahu &quot;admits to doing wrong, feels bad about it, and leaves politics right away.&quot;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, reinforced this stance: &ldquo;Only the guilty seek a pardon. After eight years of legal proceedings, cases that have not collapsed, Netanyahu is now asking for clemency.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFormer Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated he would only support a formal deal that terminates Netanyahu&#39;s trial if it is contingent upon his permanent departure from public office.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe sharpest rebuke came from National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz, who accused Netanyahu of using the pardon request as a cynical distraction from the regime&#39;s deeply controversial draft-exemption bill.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&ldquo;He&rsquo;s acting like an arsonist who starts a fire and then demands protection money to put it out,&rdquo; Gantz said. &ldquo;Instead of inflaming tensions, put out the fire you started. Stop harming democracy, call elections, and only then pursue a plea deal or a pardon.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDespite the intense political and public pressure, Herzog&rsquo;s office was quoted as saying the president would remain impartial and would not be &quot;influenced by any pressure from any party.&quot;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe pardon request now rests with the president, determining whether Netanyahu can escape accountability for the charges leveled against him.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNetanyahu is Zionist regime&rsquo;s longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 1996 to 1999, from 2009 to 2021, and again since December 2022.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNetanyahu is currently on trial for three major corruption cases, known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThese cases are based on claims of bribes, biased media coverage, and regulatory favors.&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHe is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, where Zionist regime&rsquo;s two-year genocide killed more than 70,000 people and injured 170,000, mostly women and children.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","content_html":"<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Protesters outside the residence of the regime&rsquo;s president, Isaac Herzog, denounced the maneuver as an assault on the rule of law, waving signs beneath a large pile of bananas labeled &quot;Pardon,&quot; equating the move to a &quot;Banana Republic.&quot;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Netanyahu, 76, formally petitioned President Herzog for clemency, seeking to escape potential imprisonment if he is ultimately convicted.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">For years, the Zionist regime&#39;s leader had refused to request a pardon, as Israeli law typically requires an admission of guilt.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Reports indicate his current plea omits any clear confession of wrongdoing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">In a video statement justifying his political lifeline, Netanyahu claimed that &quot;the security reality, the political situation, and the national interest&quot; forced his hand.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Protesters gathered outside of Israeli regime&rsquo;s president Isaac Herzog&rsquo;s house in Tel Aviv, demanding that he reject Netanyahu&rsquo;s request for a pardon in the three corruption charges against him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">He argued that the ongoing trial &quot;tears us apart&quot; and deepens domestic divisions.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Opposition figures united in demanding that Herzog reject the request unless Netanyahu meets two critical conditions: a full admission of guilt and a permanent exit from political life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Opposition Leader Yair Lapid stated that clemency should only be granted if Netanyahu &quot;admits to doing wrong, feels bad about it, and leaves politics right away.&quot;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, reinforced this stance: &ldquo;Only the guilty seek a pardon. After eight years of legal proceedings, cases that have not collapsed, Netanyahu is now asking for clemency.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated he would only support a formal deal that terminates Netanyahu&#39;s trial if it is contingent upon his permanent departure from public office.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The sharpest rebuke came from National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz, who accused Netanyahu of using the pardon request as a cynical distraction from the regime&#39;s deeply controversial draft-exemption bill.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">&ldquo;He&rsquo;s acting like an arsonist who starts a fire and then demands protection money to put it out,&rdquo; Gantz said. &ldquo;Instead of inflaming tensions, put out the fire you started. Stop harming democracy, call elections, and only then pursue a plea deal or a pardon.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Despite the intense political and public pressure, Herzog&rsquo;s office was quoted as saying the president would remain impartial and would not be &quot;influenced by any pressure from any party.&quot;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The pardon request now rests with the president, determining whether Netanyahu can escape accountability for the charges leveled against him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Netanyahu is Zionist regime&rsquo;s longest-serving prime minister, holding office from 1996 to 1999, from 2009 to 2021, and again since December 2022.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Netanyahu is currently on trial for three major corruption cases, known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">These cases are based on claims of bribes, biased media coverage, and regulatory favors.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, where Zionist regime&rsquo;s two-year genocide killed more than 70,000 people and injured 170,000, mostly women and children.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2025-12-01 09:23:01","content_date_event":"2025-12-01 09:23:01","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2025-12-01 11:02:41","content_date_register":"2025-12-01 09:45:42","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":43,"eid":43,"attach_title":"Protests erupt in Tel Aviv as corruption-plagued Netanyahu seeks pardon","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_150_84.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_300_168.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_400_224.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_600_335.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_900_503.webp","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452_1000_559.jpg"},"ext":"jpg","file_media":1,"token":2277364452,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202512\/562460_2277364452.jpg","width":1000,"height":559,"size":0}}}]}]]