This is a truly unprecedented situation.

An Israeli prime minister, in the midst of a trial that has already been going on for years, requesting a pardon even though he hasn't been convicted.

And he is doing so with the backing of the American president , whose goodwill - by contrast to growing international condemnation - now sits at the heart of Israeli government policy.

Benjamin Netanyahu insists he will be exonerated, even if the trial does come to a conclusion.

Image: President Isaac Herzog, pictured on the right with Netanyahu in 2022, has described the request as 'extraordinary'. Pic: Reuters

His argument, framed across 111 pages, is that the trial is such a distraction that it is damaging the national interest and affecting his ability to govern.

He also cl

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