Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense team and the prosecution were invited by President Isaac Herzog’s legal team to begin preliminary discussions on a possible plea bargain in the criminal trial that has divided Israel for years.
Herzog’s legal adviser, Michal Tsuk-Shafir, wrote Tuesday evening to both sides in the case, inviting them to meet at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in order to begin a process aimed at exploring whether talks could be opened “with an open heart and sincere, good intention.” Both sides were given until Tuesday to submit their replies.
Tsuk-Shafir clarified that agreeing to participate in the process would not constitute acceptance of the other side’s legal positions in the trial, where testimony is still underway. After a two-month hiatus due to the Iran war, Netanyahu returned to the witness stand on Tuesday, as cross-examination continued.
The step offered by Herzog’s office is only preliminary: an attempt to determine whether agreements can be reached before the president turns to the pardon request itself.
Tsuk-Shafir wrote that Herzog believes that “prior to considering the exercise of the President’s pardon authority,” the possibility of discussions between the parties aimed at reaching agreements “must be exhausted first.”
The letter follows a report earlier this week that Herzog was seeking to promote a plea bargain.
Herzog has repeatedly expressed the position that an agreed resolution would be preferable, a view also voiced over the years by senior legal experts and jurists.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. His testimony began in December 2024, and cross-examination began in June 2025. The prime minister denies all charges against him.
At this stage, however, the proposal has not yet been examined by all relevant officials. The Attorney-General’s Office clarified Tuesday night that the fresh offer had not yet been discussed.
Tsuk-Shafir wrote that “there seems to be no dispute” over the value of conciliatory talks that could lead to an agreed resolution, “particularly in matters at the heart of public debate in Israel.”
