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 at war against 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 on 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," carryi

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