Israeli President Isaac Herzog has explained the proper pardon review process in response to Donald Trump’s accusation that his handling of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s clemency request was shameful and disgraceful.
Herzog’s office issued a clear and detailed statement Thursday outlining the constitutional procedures being followed, explaining that the Ministry of Justice is currently conducting an extensive legal analysis of the pardon application in accordance with all established governmental protocols, legal requirements, and constitutional standards. The presidential statement made absolutely clear that Herzog has not reached any decision on whether to grant the pardon to Netanyahu and emphasized that the review process is proceeding according to proper legal channels and established norms, with any final determination to be made based exclusively on legal considerations, constitutional principles, established precedents, and Israeli law, without yielding to or being influenced by external political pressure from foreign governments, leaders, or officials, or internal political considerations, partisan pressures, and public opinion dynamics.
The diplomatic and political situation became significantly more tense and contentious when Trump, during a well-publicized press conference at the White House that was conducted while Netanyahu was visiting Washington for important bilateral diplomatic meetings, strategic policy discussions, and high-level consultations with American officials, publicly attacked Herzog using unusually harsh, personal, inflammatory, and condemnatory language. The former U.S. president declared publicly and without equivocation to assembled reporters, journalists, and media representatives that Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not immediately, quickly, and favorably responding to the clemency petition that Trump himself had personally and publicly requested and demanded, and went considerably further by actively suggesting, encouraging, and urging that ordinary Israeli citizens, voters, and members of the general public should pressure, condemn, and publicly shame their elected president for his methodical approach to this sensitive matter. Trump’s unprecedented public criticism and inflammatory remarks represented a dramatic, shocking, and extraordinary departure from conventional diplomatic norms, established international protocols, customary courtesies, and standard diplomatic practices, and marked an unprecedented and concerning instance of direct American interference in Israel’s internal legal processes and governmental affairs.
Netanyahu currently confronts a serious and complex array of corruption allegations across three separate and ongoing criminal prosecutions that have dominated Israeli political discourse and media attention. In two of these high-profile cases, prosecutors have presented detailed accusations claiming that Netanyahu orchestrated elaborate arrangements with major Israeli media organizations, allegedly trading governmental regulatory decisions and policy benefits for favorable news coverage of himself and his administration’s policies and actions. The third case involves direct allegations of bribery and personal enrichment, with authorities claiming that Netanyahu accepted more than $260,000 worth of luxury gifts from billionaire associates, including expensive cigars, premium champagne, designer jewelry, and other high-end items, allegedly in exchange for political favors and governmental decisions that benefited these wealthy supporters and their business interests.
Netanyahu’s position as Israel’s first sitting prime minister to face criminal prosecution has created an unprecedented political crisis that has deeply divided the nation since the proceedings began in 2019. Throughout all legal proceedings, Netanyahu has vigorously maintained his complete innocence, consistently characterizing the prosecutions as a politically motivated “political trial” orchestrated by his opponents to undermine his leadership and force him from office through judicial means rather than electoral processes. Although prosecutors initially brought four separate corruption charges, one has been dismissed, leaving three active cases proceeding through the Israeli judicial system. The current pardon controversy began when Trump delivered a speech to the Israeli Knesset in October, publicly urging Herzog to grant clemency to Netanyahu, which prompted Netanyahu’s legal team to formally submit an official pardon request to the presidential office.