Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday asked the country's president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges — seeking to end a long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.

Netanyahu, who has been battling the country's legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous changes in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from his opponents, who said it would weaken Israel's democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the rule of law.

In a statement Sunday the prime minister's office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president's office called it an "extraordinary request," carrying with it

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