From rivalry to rapprochement: Netanyahu’s pardon strategy exposed

According to Israel’s Channel 13 news network, as the process for reviewing Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request enters a critical stage, sources close to him revealed that Netanyahu is striving to leverage all political, legal, and personal tools to secure a path to pardon. This effort now includes a notable shift in his approach toward Isaac Amit, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

This behavioral change comes after years of serious disputes between Netanyahu and Amit over judicial reforms, during which their relationship has been highly tense.

Channel 13 reports that Netanyahu, who has long considered Amit an obstacle to his judicial reforms, is now unexpectedly adopting a conciliatory approach toward him and even intends to meet with him. The goal of this shift is to send an indirect message to Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, who will make the final decision on the pardon.

The greatest point of tension between Netanyahu and Amit stems from recent years, when Amit openly opposed Netanyahu’s judicial reform plans, viewing them as a threat to judicial independence. Amit also took positions in cases related to Netanyahu’s financial corruption that Netanyahu’s inner circle perceived as “oppositional and hostile.” Netanyahu, however, is now setting aside this long-standing animosity in pursuit of his pardon.

Meanwhile, Yariv Levin, Minister of Justice and one of Netanyahu’s closest allies, is reportedly pressing legal advisors to secure direct influence over the pardon process. His main concern is that due to his close ties to Netanyahu, he may be excluded from the process over “conflicts of interest.”

Adding to the controversy, Moti Sender, a former aide to the Israeli President, recently claimed that a secret agreement existed between Netanyahu and Herzog, threatening to reveal it if a pardon were granted. Herzog’s office denied the claim, stating that no complaint would be filed due to Sender’s “personal situation.”

Nonetheless, the Pardons Department of the Ministry of Justice is expected to soon ask Netanyahu what concessions he would offer in exchange for a pardon. Legal sources emphasize that political matters—such as agreeing to a formal government inquiry into Israel’s failures on October 7, which Netanyahu seeks to avoid—have no connection to his personal pardon process, and such “concessions” would not be accepted by the Pardons Department or the President’s legal advisors.

Additionally, this week, Netanyahu stated during a joint press conference with the visiting German Chancellor that he has no intention of stepping back from politics—a stance that complicates the possibility of a political agreement in exchange for a pardon.

In response, President Herzog told Politico that, despite external pressures including from the U.S. President, Israel is independent, describing Netanyahu’s pardon request as “unusual.”