Khaberni - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should receive a pardon for the corruption charges he is facing, adding that Israeli President Isaac Herzog should "be ashamed of himself" for not granting the pardon.
Trump mentioned during an event at the White House that the Israeli people should make Herzog feel ashamed for not issuing the pardon.
He added, "It's shameful that a pardon has not been issued. It should have been issued."
The office of the Israeli President quickly responded to Trump's statements, saying, "For clarification, as has been explained repeatedly, the Prime Minister's request is still under review in the Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion. The President will not consider the request until this process is completed, in accordance with the law, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind."
It added, "Israel is governed by the rule of law, and contrary to the impression created by President Trump's statements, President Herzog has not yet made any decision regarding this matter."
Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on Wednesday, in their seventh meeting since Trump returned to office last year.
The purpose of the meeting was to conduct discussions about reaching an agreement concerning Iran's nuclear program and its ballistic missiles.
Netanyahu is the first Israeli Prime Minister to face charges while in office. He has denied the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges since the indictment was issued in 2019.
Trump has publicly called several times for the Israeli President to pardon Netanyahu and said in late December that Herzog informed him that a pardon was on the way, but Herzog's office quickly denied this.
Under Israeli law, the President has the power to pardon convicted individuals. However, there is no precedent for issuing a pardon during trial proceedings.
