Israeli President Isaac Herzog has signaled he will not be rushed into a decision on whether to grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite sustained public pressure from President Donald Trump to intervene in the high-profile corruption case.
Instead, Herzog has made clear that any resolution will depend on exhausting legal and negotiated options first, effectively putting Trump’s request on ice, The New York Times has reported.
Why is Benjamin Netanyahu on trial?
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is currently on trial in three separate corruption cases involving allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Prosecutors accuse him of trading political favors for luxury gifts, media influence, and regulatory benefits in what are commonly known as “Case 1000,” “Case 2000,” and “Case 4000.” He denies wrongdoing and has characterized the proceedings as politically motivated. The trial began in 2020 and remains ongoing, making Netanyahu the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand criminal trial.
The legal situation took a dramatic political turn when Netanyahu formally requested a presidential pardon in late 2025, arguing that the case had deepened divisions in Israeli society and hindered governance amid the ongoing war.
The request was immediately controversial, as Israeli legal norms generally treat pardons as measures considered after conviction or at the end of legal proceedings, not during an active trial.
Legal experts have also noted that a pardon typically requires at least some acknowledgment of wrongdoing, something Netanyahu has refused to provide.
This is where Trump enters the picture
Donald Trump repeatedly called on Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, describing the case as politically driven and urging “full” clemency. His interventions included public statements and direct correspondence to Israeli leadership, arguing that Netanyahu was being unfairly targeted and should be freed from legal jeopardy.
In March 2026, Trump publicly called President Herzog a “disgrace” and claimed Herzog had “promised him five times” to grant the pardon, a claim Herzog’s office has vehemently denied.
But Herzog has not followed that script. Instead, he has emphasized that Israel’s justice system must run its course or conclude through a negotiated resolution.
According to recent reporting, the president’s position is that a plea deal, rather than a unilateral pardon, would be the preferred outcome and that he will only consider clemency after all legal avenues have been exhausted.
In practical terms, this means Netanyahu’s pardon request is not advancing in any immediate way, and Trump’s pressure campaign has not shifted Israeli institutional boundaries. While Trump frames the case as a matter of leadership and geopolitics, Israeli authorities are treating it as a domestic judicial issue that cannot be resolved through external persuasion alone.
For now, Netanyahu remains on trial, Herzog remains cautious, and Trump’s push for a swift pardon has collided with a system unwilling to bend to political pressure, whether domestic or international.
Published: Apr 28, 2026 04:40 am