"Netanyahu's entreaty to Herzog was carefully worded to avoid any admission of criminality or wrongdoing, aside from a vague reference to feeling responsible for the legal proceedings stoking "tensions and disputes" within Israel. "The prime minister will not admit guilt," his aides bluntly told the media. But the official pardon request from Netanyahu's lawyer, as well as a video message released by Netanyahu justifying it, did something just as damning: It acknowledged that Netanyahu has been incapable of fully performing the duties of his position, even as he hung on to the job anyway."
""Granting this request will allow the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities, and energy to advancing Israel in these critical times and to dealing with the challenges and opportunities that lie before it," wrote Amit Hadad, Netanyahu's lawyer, implying that until now, his client had been unable to do so. "I am required to testify three times a week," Netanyahu griped in his video posted to social media soon afterward. "This is an impossible requirement that no other citizen in Israel is subjected to.""
Netanyahu has faced a five-year corruption trial accused of accepting lavish gifts and pressuring media moguls for favorable coverage. He formally requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog before a court verdict, carefully avoiding any admission of guilt while vaguely citing responsibility for "tensions and disputes". The official request and a video message conceded that the trial and frequent testimony obligations have hindered his ability to fully perform prime ministerial duties. Netanyahu and his aides maintained his innocence and vowed to fight the charges, while the pardon plea framed his continued hold on office as impairing his effectiveness.
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