Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial facing corruption charges, announced Sunday he had submitted a pardon request, saying the long-running cases were tearing the country apart.

US President Donald Trump wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier this month, asking him to pardon Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the ongoing court cases.

"The trial in my case has been ongoing for nearly six years, and is expected to continue for many more years," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

He said he wanted to continue the process until acquittal, "but the security and political reality -- the national interest -- dictate otherwise. The State of Israel is facing enormous challenges," he said.

"The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, a

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