Khaberni - The Israeli President Isaac Herzog is not rushing to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Indicating the difficulty of issuing a pardon for Netanyahu on corruption charges before a guilty plea, the Israeli President's Office has asked the Justice Department to clarify pardon precedents before the end of criminal proceedings. Netanyahu is still being tried at the Israeli Central Court on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
Among few powers, the Israeli President also has the power to pardon, which has put him in recent weeks under harsh and unprecedented criticism by President Trump, who has publicly and privately called for a pardon for Netanyahu, calling him a "coward". However, it appears that Trump's harsh criticism has not pushed Herzog to issue the pardon.
His office said in a statement on Sunday: "After studying the pardon request in the case of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the legal advisor to the President's Office, attorney Michal Tzuk, contacted the pardon administration at the Justice Department on Sunday morning for additional clarifications." He added: "The President's Office would like to express its great appreciation for the professional and precise work done by the pardon administration, both in terms of the opinion provided and its pivotal role in the pardon process."
In what seemed to be the last attempt before rejecting or accepting the pardon request, the Israeli President's Office indicated that it "requested clarifications from the administration regarding judicial precedents in exercising the pardon authority before the end of criminal proceedings, including cases involving political initiatives or hostage-release deals. Despite clear differences between the cases, the clarifications relate to the actual practice of the pardoning authority during legal proceedings."
He added: "In addition, clarifications were sought regarding differences between the opinions provided. The President's Office referred the general inquiries received on this matter to the pardon administration for analysis." He continued: "This inquiry was part of the completion of the professional examination before drafting the recommendation to President Isaac Herzog, and does not indicate any stance regarding the request." The Israeli President's Office added: "After receiving the required response, the consideration of the request will be completed according to the usual procedures."
According to the law, a person facing charges in court must plead guilty before receiving a pardon. However, Netanyahu refuses any admission of guilt and insists on denying the charges against him, considering them politically motivated and targeted. If Netanyahu pleads guilty, he will not be able to run in the elections again.
Netanyahu defends the continuation of his government to avoid speeding up the trial, knowing that Israeli law does not require him to resign until the charges against him are proven. Israeli newspaper "Maariv" said: "Let us remind Netanyahu, unlike usual in such cases, that he has not confessed, has not expressed regret, and is not interested in resigning in exchange for a pardon; therefore, in reality, this is a request to end his trial."
On November 21, 2019, the public prosecutor formally charged Netanyahu with breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud. Netanyahu's trial began on May 24, 2020. The charges against Netanyahu focus on three main cases known as Case 1000, Case 2000, and Case 4000, and include the following accusations:
In Case 1000 (the gifts case): Charges of receiving valuable gifts (fine cigars, champagne, and jewelry) from wealthy individuals in exchange for government favors.
In Case 2000 (Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper case): Charges of negotiating with the newspaper's publisher to obtain favorable coverage in exchange for curbing its competitor, "Israel Hayom".
In Case 4000 (Bezeq-Walla case): Charges of providing regulatory favors to the telecommunications company "Bezeq" in exchange for receiving positive coverage on the "Walla" news site owned by the same company.
