Benjamin Netanyahu's request for a pardon in three ongoing corruption cases is widely seen as his latest bid to ensure his political survival, as the canny premier stares down the prospect of close elections in 2026.

The first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial, Netanyahu has been dogged by the allegations for years, and has had to appear in front of a judge weekly for hearings.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denounced the cases as a politically motivated plot against him.

He submitted his request on Sunday to President Isaac Herzog, who will now decide whether to take the rare move of pardoning Netanyahu before any conviction.

"The pardon request that Netanyahu's lawyers submitted is not a legal move. It is purely a political move," prominent columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Aharonot daily.

The request starts a negotiation led by Herzog that could see the trials end through a plea bargain agreement, a pardon or a combination of the two, the columnist said.

"If Herzog grants him a deluxe pardon he will be freed from his trial... he will ride that wave all the way to victory in the elections," he wrote Monday.

"If the negotiations end in failure," he........

© Al Monitor