Israeli President Isaac Herzog will seek to advance a plea deal in the corruption cases against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and does not plan to grant a pardon at this time, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing two senior officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
The sources, who were said to have direct knowledge of Herzog’s thinking, declined to comment on the outlines of a potential agreement before the sides were even on board with mediation.
Herzog was still waiting for his office’s legal adviser to study all documents submitted regarding the pardon request and make a formal recommendation, according to the two officials. One of the issues still being examined is whether Netanyahu can be pardoned before admitting guilt, taking responsibility by resigning or being convicted in court.
The general assessment in the president’s circles, they said, is that he does have the authority to pardon Netanyahu. However, Herzog’s decision would need to pass judicial review and would likely be challenged at the High Court of Justice, risking further division in Israeli society.
Herzog was said to favor proposing a way out of the impasse through informal talks under presidential auspices, with state prosecutors and the attorney general on one side and Netanyahu’s lawyer on the other.
Herzog’s office told the Times that the president “has stated on several occasions that he regards reaching an amicable solution between the parties as an important public interest.
“As for the decision on the pardon request, the president will act solely in accordance with Israeli law, guided by his conscience, and in the best interests of the State of Israel,” the statement added.
In a separate Hebrew-language statement shared with the Ynet outlet, the President’s Residence said that Herzog “believes that it is right—before discussing the pardon request itself—to exhaust a process that could lead to formulating an agreement between the parties, outside the walls of the courtroom.”
Herzog’s office on March 29 requested supplemental information regarding a legal opinion submitted to it by Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, recommending that Netanyahu be granted a pardon.
Herzog’s legal adviser, Michal Tzuk, asked for data and information from the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department regarding precedents in which pardons were granted before a trial had been concluded, Israel’s Channel 13 reported. She also asked the Pardons Department to address gaps between various opinions submitted in the case.
Herzog has faced pressure to grant a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump.
On March 5, Trump said of Herzog, “I think the people of Israel should really shame him. He’s disgraceful for not giving it,” referring to a pardon. Herzog “promised me five times that he would give Bibi a pardon,” Trump claimed, adding that he would refuse to meet with the Israeli president until the pardon was granted.
On Feb. 12, Trump said that the Israeli president “should be ashamed of himself,” adding that Herzog had been holding the issue over Netanyahu “for a year” and should stop using it as leverage. Before that, on Oct. 13 of last year, while addressing the Knesset, Trump called on Herzog to grant a pardon. Trump followed that up with a letter to the Israeli president on Nov. 12.
On March 5, Herzog’s office pushed back against Trump’s comments, saying Israel “is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law. ... [T]he 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.”
