Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana appealed to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, urging him to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon following former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s testimony in Netanyahu’s trial. Ohana attended the court hearing earlier in the day and subsequently sent Herzog a letter outlining his interpretation of the testimony, arguing that the revelations warranted a decision on the pending pardon request.
“I was shocked to discover from the testimony of the former attorney general that even the remaining charges, after the panel of judges twice suggested that the prosecution withdraw the bribery charge, are based on illegal investigative actions carried out without his knowledge or authorization," Ohana wrote.
He also claimed that Mandelblit testified that he had not reviewed the allegations concerning 315 instances of favorable media coverage cited in the amended indictment. According to Ohana, Mandelblit also said he could not recall whether he had personally signed the amended indictment. Ohana argued that the issues raised by the testimony should not remain merely the subject of dramatic media reports, but should have direct consequences for Herzog’s decision.
“This conduct, which exposes a chain of omissions, failures and violations of the law, cannot end with dramatic reports in the various media outlets. It must also lead you to make a decision on the pardon request for the prime minister," he wrote.
The Knesset speaker also criticized the handling of Netanyahu’s pardon request by the officials involved. He alleged that the position taken by the Pardons Department and the actions of the Attorney General’s Office, including their response to the pardon recommendation submitted by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and briefings given to the media in recent months, indicated that the legal establishment was determined to end Netanyahu’s political career.
According to Ohana, the officials would accept only a compromise that produced that outcome.
Ohana also invoked his own legal background in arguing for a pardon.
“In my judgment, not only as someone familiar with public life but also in light of my legal experience accompanying dozens and hundreds of indictments, both as an intern in the State Attorney’s Office and later as a lawyer, the just, courageous and appropriate decision in light of the findings is to grant the prime minister a pardon," he wrote. “Unfortunately, one of the major ills of the judicial system is the dragging out of proceedings, as can be seen in the case against the prime minister, in cases involving other public figures, and in cases involving ordinary Israeli citizens."
Ohana noted that approximately seven months had passed since Herzog received the pardon request, concluding that the facts revealed in court were already sufficient to reach a decision.