U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday demanded that Israeli President Isaac Herzog immediately pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader should not be distracted from the war with Iran.
In a phone interview with Channel 12’s Barak Ravid, Trump said Herzog must grant Netanyahu a pardon “today.”
“President Herzog must give Bibi a pardon today,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “I don’t want there to be anything troubling Bibi other than the war with Iran. The only pressure on him should be the fighting against Iran.”
Israel and the United States launched a joint preemptive military operation against Iran on Feb. 28.
In the interview, Trump criticized Herzog, calling him “a disgrace” and claiming that the Israeli president “promised me five times that he would give Bibi a pardon.”
He added that Herzog had been holding the issue over Netanyahu “for a year” and urged him to stop using it as leverage. He also said he would refuse to meet the Israeli president until the pardon was granted.
This was the second time Trump publicly assailed Herzog in recent weeks. On Feb. 12, he said the Israeli president “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu, who is currently standing trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
Trump, speaking at a White House event, repeated an appeal he made in writing last November following a trip to Israel that Herzog pardon Netanyahu, suggesting that Israelis should be “ashamed” if he does not do so.
“I think the people of Israel should really shame him. He’s disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it,” Trump said at the time.
Herzog’s office pushed back against Trump’s latest call on Thursday, saying that the president is not currently dealing with the matter while Israel is at war with Iran.
“President Herzog greatly respects and appreciates the tremendous contribution of Donald Trump to Israel’s security,” Herzog’s office said in a statement. “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 added that Israel “is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” and that the request for a pardon is currently being handled by the Justice Ministry, which must provide its legal opinion as required by 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,” Herzog’s office concluded.
