Khaberni - The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said today, Saturday, that the American president Donald Trump's attack on his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog might reduce the chances of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving a presidential pardon.
Following his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House last Thursday, Trump said that Herzog "should be ashamed of himself" for not granting Netanyahu a pardon, who is being tried for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.
In his response, the Israeli president said that the matter of the pardon is under review and will be discussed without any internal or external pressure.
Previously, the American president had asked Herzog verbally and in writing to pardon Netanyahu - who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes - but this time he adopted a public attacking tone.
Counterproductive results
According to the Broadcasting Authority, Trump has twice since Netanyahu's last visit to Washington made statements supporting the pardon for the Israeli Prime Minister, adding that Trump’s accusation of Herzog refraining from granting a pardon due to fear of losing his power almost aligns with the narrative presented by Netanyahu and his circle.
The authority speculated that Trump felt the need to offer something to Netanyahu, considering that the supportive statement for granting a pardon is a politically low-cost step for the American president.
However, it pointed out that these statements might have counterproductive effects, as they could prompt Herzog to be more rigid and demonstrate the independence of his decision, especially considering what it deemed an attempt to embarrass him in front of the Israeli community.
According to the authority, the potential damage from Trump's attack is not limited to normalizing a blatant American interference in Israeli domestic affairs but also extends to the diplomatic dimension, as Trump realizes that Netanyahu was seeking to achieve a political milestone during his visit to Washington, especially with the Iranian file, which was not achieved due to the continuing American negotiations with Tehran.
3 corruption cases
Netanyahu faces allegations of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three well-known corruption cases known as Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000, and the former government legal advisor Avichai Mandelblit filed the related indictment at the end of November 2019, which are:
Case 1000: Netanyahu and his family members received expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for facilitating and assisting these figures in various fields.
Case 2000: Netanyahu negotiated with the publisher of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Arnon Mozes, for positive media coverage.
Case 4000: Netanyahu facilitated benefits for the former owner of the "Walla" news website, Shaul Elovitch, who was also in charge of the Bezeq communications company, in exchange for positive media coverage.
On the 30th of November last year, Netanyahu asked Herzog to grant him a pardon for the corruption charges against him, but without admitting guilt or retiring from political life.
Since the beginning of his trial, Netanyahu has denied the charges against him, while Israeli law only allows the president to grant a pardon after admitting guilt.
