Netanyahu is in the midst of a stalled corruption trial for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, including receiving extravagant gifts, among them cigars and Champagne.
The Israeli prime minister was indicted in 2019, with some of the investigations that gave rise to the charges going back to 2015.
One of the “most important roles” of the Israeli president, per the office’s website, is the legal power to pardon offenders or modify their sentences.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Netanyahu to be pardoned, including as recently as October. “Cigars and Champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump said during an address in Jerusalem, dubbing Netanyahu “one of the greatest” wartime leaders.
The case has been delayed time and again because of legal maneuvers by Netanyahu and his lawyers, as well as because of security and diplomatic concerns during the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu insists he is innocent, arguing the cases against him are part of an orchestrated left-wing plot that’s out to topple a democratically elected right-wing leader.