The Israeli president rejected Trump’s challenge
- The Israeli president rejected Trump’s call to pardon Netanyahu.
- Herzog stressed the need to respect the sovereignty of the Israeli legal system.
- Netanyahu faces long-standing accusations of corruption and abuse of power.
- Trump says the charges are politically motivated and calls for clemency.
- The judicial reforms have sparked protests, muted by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog rejected US President Donald Trump’s calls to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, TASR reports, according to a Politico report.
“I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” Herzog said, praising Trump’s role in securing the release of the Gaza hostages. However, he emphasized that Israel is a sovereign country and that its legal system must be fully respected.
Accusations against Netanyahu
Netanyahu has been on trial for fraud, breach of trust and bribery for more than five years. Trump has repeatedly called for Herzog to pardon him, including in a recent letter he signed and released by Herzog’s office.
The letter says Trump respects the independence of the Israeli judiciary, but believes the charges against Netanyahu are politically motivated. The American president also raised this issue during his visit to the Israeli parliament in October.
Request for pardon
President Yitzchak Herzog’s office announced Netanyahu’s request for a pardon last Sunday, with the prime minister subsequently declaring that granting clemency in his trial was in Israel’s national interest. Frequent court hearings are said to prevent him from running the country. Herzog said the request is currently being processed through a process involving the Justice Department and his office’s legal counsel team.
“It is certainly an extraordinary request, and I will primarily consider what is in the best interest of the Israeli nation when assessing it. The well-being of the Israeli nation is my first, second, and third priority,” he emphasized.
Judicial reforms and protests
Netanyahu has pushed for sweeping judicial reforms during his current term from 2022. According to critics, these were intended to weaken the independence of the courts. The reforms therefore sparked mass protests, which subsided after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
In September, the Israeli president hinted in a media interview that he might pardon Netanyahu, as the prosecution of the prime minister “hits Israeli society hard.”
