Trump: Herzog is a ‘disgrace,’ must pardon Netanyahu now so PM can focus on Iran war

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump: Herzog is a ‘disgrace,’ must pardon Netanyahu now so PM can focus on Iran war
Times of Israel, Mar 5, 2026

Herzog’s office: Israel a ‘sovereign state governed by the rule of law,’ pardon decision will be made sans external input;
Trump says he won’t meet with president until he issues pardon

US President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that President Isaac Herzog immediately pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Herzog a “disgrace,” in his latest heated intervention on behalf of the prime minister in his corruption trial.

The US president claimed he’s raised the matter with the Israeli president for a year, and that Herzog promised him five times that he would pardon Netanyahu. Trump added that he is refusing to meet Herzog until he gives Netanyahu a pardon. There have been no reported efforts by Herzog to meet with Trump.

Trump claimed Herzog has been holding the issue over Netanyahu’s head for a year, even though Netanyahu only requested a pardon in November. Netanyahu has consistently denied wrongdoing in the three corruption cases for which he is on trial, claiming he has been framed by the police and state prosecution.

Trump has been calling for Netanyahu to be pardoned since June 2025, the last time Israel and Iran fought a war. The Prime Minister’s Office has denied that Netanyahu asked the US president to take up the issue.

Thursday marked the second time Trump has attacked Herzog over the issue in less than a month, after he said in February that Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
response to Trump’s comments on Thursday, the President’s Residence issued a statement praising the US president, but stressing Herzog’s prerogative to decide for himself on whether to grant Netanyahu a pardon.

“President Herzog greatly respects and appreciates the tremendous contribution of Donald Trump to Israel’s security. He views him as the leader of the free world, a central ally of Israel, and particularly values his firm stance against Iran,” the statement said.

Herzog’s office noted that Israel “is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” and as such, the pardon request is currently being dealt with by the Justice Ministry, which will offer its legal opinion, as per the law.

“After the process is completed, the president will examine the request according to the law, the good of the country, and according to his conscience, without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” his office added.


More: 
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-herzog-a-disgrace-must-pardon-netanyahu-now-so-pm-can-focus-on-iran-war/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Israel’s President, Putting Off Decision on Pardon for Netanyahu, Will Push for Plea Deal
NY Times, Apr 26, 2026

For months, President Isaac Herzog of Israel has deliberated over the politically fraught question of whether to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon in his long-running corruption trial. It’s a highly contentious issue that has divided Israelis and drawn pressure from President Trump, who has aggressively intervened on Mr. Netanyahu’s behalf.

But Mr. Herzog does not plan to give Mr. Netanyahu a pardon anytime soon. Instead he will first try to initiate a mediation process to reach a plea deal, according to two senior Israeli officials with direct knowledge of Mr. Herzog’s thinking.

Mr. Herzog, the officials said, believes that there are many options beyond the binary pardon-or-no-pardon choice, and that the main role of Israel’s president is to foster unity. So he does not plan to say yes or no to Mr. Netanyahu’s request for a pardon at this stage,  according to two senior Israeli officials with direct knowledge of Mr. Herzog’s thinking.

[...]

Mr. Herzog is acutely aware that the atmosphere in the country is tense, the officials said, because of the wars in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, and with national elections slated to take place within six months.

Though the president’s role in Israel is largely ceremonial, one of the few powers Mr. Herzog has is granting pardons. A decision either way would be momentous and defining for both his and Mr. Netanyahu’s legacies and for the country’s future trajectory.

A plea agreement usually involves an admission of wrongdoing by the defendant and some kind of sanction. Israeli legal experts have said that any plea deal should be conditioned on Mr. Netanyahu’s agreeing to resign from public office.

Mr. Netanyahu has so far shown no inclination to admit any wrongdoing or to quit political life.

“Netanyahu knows the option of a plea bargain is always available to him,” said Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Israel Democracy Institute, an independent research group based in Jerusalem. “An admission of guilt, expressing remorse and agreeing to leave — or not to run for — office would be the essence of any plea bargain,” he said, adding, “If you are giving up on a prison sentence, that’s the minimum that should be required.”


More:  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/world/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-pardon-herzog.html