Israeli President Herzog Resists Trump’s Public Campaign for Immediate Netanyahu Pardon

President Isaac Herzog of Israel has resisted Donald Trump’s public campaign for an immediate pardon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, clarifying Thursday that the request remains under proper legal review despite Trump’s characterization of any delay as disgraceful.
The detailed statement from Herzog’s office explained the current stage of the review process, noting that the Ministry of Justice is preparing a comprehensive legal opinion on the pardon application following all established governmental procedures and constitutional protocols. Herzog’s team stressed that the president has not made any determination on the pardon matter and will only do so after receiving the complete legal analysis from the Justice Ministry, at which point he will make his decision based strictly on legal considerations, the requirements of Israeli law, and his constitutional responsibilities, without being influenced by external political pressure from foreign leaders or internal political considerations and dynamics.
Trump’s sharp and personal criticism of Herzog emerged during a White House press conference that was held while Netanyahu was in Washington conducting bilateral diplomatic meetings and discussions with American officials. The former American president used remarkably harsh, personal, and condemnatory language to attack Herzog’s approach to the pardon request, stating directly that Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not immediately and favorably responding to the clemency petition that Trump himself had publicly requested, and additionally encouraged and urged Israeli citizens to publicly pressure, condemn, and shame their president for his handling of this sensitive legal and political matter. The comments represented an extraordinary, unprecedented, and highly unusual level of direct intervention and interference by a former American leader in another democratic and sovereign nation’s internal legal processes, governmental affairs, and judicial proceedings.
The complex web of corruption allegations confronting Netanyahu encompasses three separate, distinct, and ongoing criminal prosecutions that have become central, defining issues in Israeli political discourse and public debates. In two of these major and high-profile cases, prosecutors have constructed and presented detailed accusations and evidence claiming that Netanyahu systematically engineered, orchestrated, and negotiated complex quid pro quo arrangements and deals with major, influential Israeli media companies, news organizations, and media outlets, allegedly leveraging and exploiting his position as prime minister and using governmental regulatory authority, policy decisions, regulatory benefits, and official actions to secure, obtain, and ensure favorable, positive, and sympathetic news coverage and media treatment of himself, his family members, his political allies, and his administration’s policies, decisions, and actions. The third criminal case involves more direct, personal, and concrete allegations of bribery, personal enrichment, and systematic corruption, with authorities and prosecutors claiming and presenting evidence that Netanyahu systematically and regularly accepted extravagant, expensive luxury gifts and items worth more than $260,000 in total value from billionaire associates, wealthy supporters, business figures, and affluent benefactors, including expensive cigars, premium champagne bottles, designer jewelry pieces, luxury goods, and various other high-end expensive items and services, allegedly in exchange for political favors, governmental decisions, regulatory actions, policy changes, official interventions, and other governmental actions that directly and substantially benefited these wealthy benefactors, advanced their business interests, and provided them with competitive advantages.
Netanyahu’s unprecedented position as Israel’s first sitting and serving prime minister to face criminal prosecution and stand trial while still in office has created a historic, divisive, and defining political and constitutional crisis in modern Israeli history that has polarized the nation and dominated political discussions since 2019. Throughout all legal proceedings, court appearances, and trial sessions, Netanyahu has consistently, vigorously, and repeatedly maintained and proclaimed his complete and total innocence of all charges, consistently and publicly characterizing all three prosecutions as a coordinated, orchestrated “political trial” that has been systematically planned, organized, and manipulated by his political opponents, rivals, elements of the legal establishment, law enforcement officials, judicial authorities, prosecutorial offices, and segments of the Israeli media establishment and press to undermine, delegitimize, and destroy his democratically elected leadership, damage his political standing and reputation, and force his removal from office through judicial and legal means rather than through legitimate, democratic electoral processes and voter decisions. Although prosecutors and authorities initially brought and filed four separate and distinct corruption charges against Netanyahu when the criminal cases were first initiated and filed, one of these charges was subsequently dismissed and dropped by the courts during preliminary proceedings and hearings, leaving three substantial, serious, complex, and active criminal cases that continue to proceed, advance, and move forward through the Israeli judicial system and court processes. The current international controversy, political debate, diplomatic tension, and public discussion over a potential presidential pardon officially and publicly began when Trump delivered a high-profile, widely publicized, and controversial speech to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in October, during which he publicly and directly addressed President Herzog by name and position, strongly urging, pressuring, and encouraging him to grant clemency and issue a formal presidential pardon to Netanyahu, which subsequently prompted, encouraged, motivated, and led Netanyahu’s legal defense team and attorneys to formally and officially submit an official pardon request, application, and petition to Herzog’s presidential office for his review, consideration, evaluation, and potential action and decision.