Netanyahu trial is hurting Israel, says Herzog, but says he can’t give automatic pardon

Israel’s president laments that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ongoing trial is bad for the country but adds he cannot grant President Trump’s request to grant an automatic pardon.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial is harming the State of Israel, President Isaac Herzog acknowledged on Thursday, but added that he is unable to grant President Donald Trump’s request to provide an automatic pardon for Israel’s head of government.

Herzog was interviewed by Fareed Zakaria at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, responding to questions regarding President Trump’s request last year for a presidential pardon on behalf of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Israeli president emphasized that while he respects his American counterpart, he can only make a final determination on a pardon request after it has gone through evaluations by the Justice Ministry and the president’s office.

“Right now, the request has to go through the procedure of collecting various opinions by the relevant agencies in the Ministry of Justice,” Herzog said. “I cannot violate that, because of course I have to operate according to the rules.”

“I respect President Trump tremendously,” Herzog continued, but added, “we have our own legal system and I will operate within it.”

Herzog lamented that the prosecution and Netanyahu’s legal team had not reached an agreement ending the trial, arguing that the ongoing proceedings were harmful to the country.

The case “should have been resolved and should be resolved amicably, because it has a very negative impact on our system. And I think that solutions should be found.”

“There should have been a settlement of this case. I mentioned in the Israeli public, it hasn’t come to such fruition and therefore came the process of the request for the pardon and also the letter and the request of President Trump, which I always respect, but I operate as the head of state of the Israeli nation and I will operate accordingly.”