Israel: Ex-PM Naftali Bennett supports pardon of Netanyahu
Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli Prime Minister, has expressed support for pardoning Benjamin Netanyahu, but only if his successor leaves politics, according to Middle East Eye and agencies on December 1st.
Netanyahu has been on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust since 2020, and received support from US President Donald Trump, who reportedly sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog last month, urging a “full pardon” to be issued for Netanyahu.
In a post on X, Bennett wrote, “In recent years, the State of Israel has been led to chaos and to the brink of a civil war that threatens its very existence.”
He continued, “To rescue Israel from the chaos, I will support a binding agreement that will include a dignified withdrawal from political life alongside the end of the trial.”
The trial began in May 2020 and involved multiple allegations, including that Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, accepted luxury gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favours.
However, Netanyahu’s legal troubles are not limited to domestic issues, as he also been issued an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged involvement in war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
His trial has been delayed on numerous occasions, and he has been accused of continuing the war on Gaza to distract observers from his legal challenges.
In August, Bennett accused Netanyahu of turning Israel into a “leper state” over the country’s war on Gaza, which was declared a genocide by the UN in September.
Bennett, who served as Prime Minister between 2021 and 2022, has been affiliated with the New Right Party and the Yamina Party. He also served as Defence Minister.
Netanyahu leads the ruling Likud Party, which is part of a governing coalition alongside far-right allies, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power Party.
Both Netanyahu and Bennett have been advocates of expanding Jewish-only settlements across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Israeli E1 settlement plan, would see the construction of over 3,400 housing units and intends to link settlements in the West Bank to those in Occupied East Jerusalem. Under Bennett’s government, three million square meters of land in the Jordan Valley was appropriated.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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