Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent an official letter to President Isaac Herzog on Sunday night stating that she and State Attorney Amit Aisman are “prepared to engage in dialogue on a plea bargain with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.”

“The prosecution is prepared to hold discussions with the defense to formulate an appropriate plea agreement,” Baharav-Miara and Aisman said, “provided there are no preconditions for the talks and without harming the progress of the trial, as is customary. At this stage, we will not address additional issues, including the format of the talks, how they will be conducted, or where they will take place.”

As of Monday morning, Netanyahu has not publicly responded to the letter.

Last week, Herzog’s legal adviser, Michal Tzuk, sent a letter to the parties involved in Netanyahu’s cases, inviting them to hold a dialogue on reaching a plea agreement.

“The parties were asked to attend promptly, willingly, and in good faith,” the President’s Office said. “It was made clear to the parties that accepting the invitation does not constitute agreement or approval on their part regarding any matter in dispute between them in court.”

The New York Times reported last week that Herzog has decided not to issue Netanyahu a pardon and instead will try to promote a plea agreement.

Netanyahu has stated many times that he will not agree to an admission of guilt, a prerequisite for a plea deal. The cases against the prime minister have fallen apart one by one in the courtroom, with multiple claims disproven or withdrawn. In addition, multiple incidents of police investigators acting illegally in the cases have been revealed in the courtroom.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)