Israel, Netanyahu: ‘I ask for clemency in the national interest’

Rome, 30 November (LaPresse) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had asked President Isaac Herzog for clemency in his corruption trial on grounds of national interest. “It has been almost ten years since the investigation against me began. The trial on these matters has been going on for almost six years and is expected to continue for many more years,‘ he said in a video statement released by Israeli media. Netanyahu explained that his personal interest remains to see the legal proceedings through to the end until he is cleared of all charges, ’but security and diplomatic reality, i.e., the national interest, dictate otherwise.” ‘Israel,’ he continued, ‘is facing enormous challenges, and with them great opportunities. To repel threats and seize opportunities, national unity is necessary,’ arguing that the continuation of the trial ‘tears us apart from within. It increases divisions and deepens rifts.’ ‘I am certain, like many others in the nation, that an immediate end to the trial would greatly contribute to calming the flames and promoting broad reconciliation, something our country desperately needs,’ he concluded.