In Israel, after the parliamentary elections, there was talk of an unusual political agreement: Benjamin Netanyahu remains prime minister for another two years, then finally leaves politics and receives a presidential pardon. The alleged deal was reported by Channel 14 on October 28, 2026. President Isaac Herzog’s office immediately rejected the information, calling it an absolute fake.
Author: Elena Gunko
The story emerged at a particularly sensitive moment. Israelis voted on October 27, but the final results have not yet been announced. The preliminary distribution of mandates does not allow any of the main political blocs to independently form a parliamentary majority.
The question of Netanyahu’s future unexpectedly became linked with another: who will be able to form the next government and at what cost?
What Channel 14 reported about Herzog’s alleged deal
Political correspondent Moti Castel in a Channel 14 publication claims that Herzog has been promoting such a scenario for about two years, long before the current election campaign.
According to the described scheme, the parties must agree on a government with a rotating prime minister. For the first two years, the cabinet is headed by Netanyahu. After that, he transfers the position to another politician, completely ends his political career, and receives a full presidential pardon for criminal cases.
The name of the politician who is supposed to replace Netanyahu is not mentioned in the report.
Castel links the alleged plan with Netanyahu’s desire to continue cooperation with American President Donald Trump. The material also mentions concerns about the results of Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and against Iran. However, these are arguments presented by the channel, not confirmed negotiation terms.
Herzog’s office responded to the publication with the words: “Absolute fake. Nothing of the sort happened.”
The presidential residence explained that Herzog is not engaged in speculations about granting a mandate to form a government. Official election results are expected to be received by the president on November 4, after which consultations with parliamentary factions will begin.
Why there was talk of government rotation after the elections
According to preliminary counting of about 85% of the votes, Netanyahu’s bloc could receive 53 parliamentary mandates, Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc — 48, and Arab parties together — 19. For a majority in the Knesset, where 120 deputies sit, 61 mandates are needed.
The final result remains to count the so-called double envelopes. In Israel, this method accounts for the votes of military personnel, diplomats, hospital patients, and some other citizens who voted not at the usual polling station by place of registration. Their ballots undergo additional verification to exclude repeat voting.
NAnews — Israel News Nikk.Agency analyzed the composition of the campaign participants and the influence of small parties on the distribution of seats even before the elections. In a material about 38 electoral lists, it was explained why even a few tenths of a percent near the electoral threshold can change the balance of the future coalition.
For Israeli politics, rotation is not news. In 2021, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid formed a cabinet with an agreement on the sequential change of leadership. Lapid became prime minister in July 2022 after the coalition collapsed.
But then it was about the distribution of power between partners, not about a presidential pardon.
Moreover, Herzog cannot appoint the next prime minister himself. His authority is to entrust one of the deputies with the attempt to form a government. The composition of the coalition and the conditions of rotation are determined by political agreements and parliamentary procedures provided by law.
Gadi Eisenkot previously rejected participation in a government led by Netanyahu. His consent to the alleged deal is not confirmed.
Can the president pardon Netanyahu before a verdict
Netanyahu continues to participate in a criminal process related to charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He denies his guilt. There is no final guilty verdict.
At the end of 2025, the prime minister appealed to Herzog for a pardon. In March 2026, relevant specialists from the Ministry of Justice did not recommend granting it under the presented circumstances.
Israeli law knows an exceptional precedent of pardon before the end of criminal proceedings. In 1986, President Chaim Herzog, Isaac Herzog’s father, pardoned Shin Bet employees involved in the Bus 300 affair before the judicial process was completed. The legality of the application of presidential powers was then considered by the Supreme Court.
But the existence of a historical precedent does not mean that any similar petition can automatically be granted. In Netanyahu’s case, legal objections remain significant.
There is also a less obvious problem: even a pardon will not ensure a parliamentary majority. The alleged deal requires Netanyahu’s consent to leave, the willingness of other parties to join the coalition, and a separate decision by the president within the pardon procedure.
The international context also matters. In September, NAnews analyzed Yair Lapid’s statements about Ukraine and Russia as an ally of Iran. Lapid promised to change the approach to cooperation with Kyiv upon the return of his political camp to power. Therefore, the composition of the new cabinet is important not only for domestic political disputes but also for Israel’s further course in relations with the USA, Ukraine, and Russia.
For now, the alleged exchange of two years of premiership for a pardon exists only as a Channel 14 report. Herzog denied it. Netanyahu has not publicly confirmed his agreement to end his career on such terms, and the final configuration of the Knesset has not yet been determined.