Khaberni - The office of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, announced that the latter is considering the proposal of the American president Donald Trump to pardon the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasizing that "no decision has been made on this matter yet".
The statement from Herzog's office says: "The President of Israel will consider the request according to the law and the state's interest, as dictated by his conscience without any pressure or influence, either external or internal of any kind".
The statement continued, in response to Trump's statements : "Contrary to the impression created by Trump's statements Herzog has not made any decision regarding this issue yet", and concluded the statement by affirming that "Israel is a sovereign state of law".
The roots of this issue go back to June 2025, when Trump called for halting the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, describing them as "a mockery of justice", and on October 13 of the same year, during a speech he made at the Israeli Knesset, Trump formally proposed to Herzog the idea of pardoning the prime minister.
This call gained additional momentum on November 12, when the official broadcasting authority "Kan" reported that Herzog received an official letter from Trump including the same proposition. And on November 30, Netanyahu formally submitted a pardon request to the president through his lawyer.
Netanyahu faces charges in three major corruption cases, involving receiving illegal gifts worth over 700,000 shekels (about 230,000 dollars), including cigarettes and champagne, in addition to fraud charges in organizing media coverage in exchange for favorable media coverage, and receiving bribes to promote projects serving the interests of his friends.
The legal proceedings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem courts have continued since 2020, where Netanyahu began testifying in December 2024, consistently denying any wrongdoing.
