Just one day after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday launched an unprecedented attack on President Isaac Herzog, saying he “should be ashamed" that he is not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Responding to reporters during remarks in which he formally announced the repeal of all Obama-era climate regulations, Trump also set a deadline for Iran, saying it would have to reach an agreement within the next month or face consequences that would be “very traumatic for them.”
Trump Attacks Herzog
(Video: Reuters)
“Netanyahu was a great wartime prime minister,” Trump said. "Israeli people should shame Herzog for not pardoning him. He's disgraceful for not giving it."
Trump continued: “The president of Israel has the primary authority to grant pardons, and he’s not doing it. He says he’s done it five times, but he doesn’t want to do it now because apparently he’ll lose his power."
“Ultimately, the decision is mine,” Trump stressed. “An agreement will probably happen within the next month, something like that. It shouldn’t take long — it has to happen fast. They have to agree very quickly.”
Israeli officials are familiar with the timelines Trump referenced and say he has allotted only a few weeks for negotiations. Even so, Netanyahu remains skeptical, though he has outlined his red lines.
Asked whether Netanyahu wants him to halt negotiations with Iran, Trump replied, “He didn’t say that and we didn’t talk about it. I’ll talk to them as long as I want, and we’ll see if we can reach a deal with them. And if we can’t, we’ll have to go to phase two, which will be very hard for them. I don’t want that to happen.”
Meanwhile, people who have spoken with Netanyahu said they believe his chances of receiving a pardon from Herzog are low, estimating them at about 30%. It is possible Trump heard that assessment from Netanyahu, prompting his unprecedented criticism of Herzog, who is currently traveling from Australia to Israel.
In November, Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request to Herzog. The President’s Residence described it as an unusual request with significant implications. The application includes two documents: a detailed letter signed by his attorney, Amit Hadad, and a letter signed by Netanyahu.
“In recent years, tensions and divisions have intensified among parts of the nation and between different state authorities,” Netanyahu wrote to Herzog at the time. “I am aware that the legal proceedings in my case have become a focal point of intense disputes. I bear broad public and moral responsibility, with an understanding of the implications of all the events. Therefore, and despite my personal interest in conducting the trial and proving my innocence until my full acquittal, I believe the public interest dictates otherwise.”
According to the request, the grounds for granting a pardon are “the good of the state,” which would enable him to manage the affairs of the country. “From the outset, and still today, the prime minister believes that if the legal process runs its course it will end in a full acquittal,” the request states. “He has had and continues to have significant criticism of the conduct of law enforcement authorities in handling his case, and these matters have been and continue to be demonstrated in court even now. For many years, the prime minister has been determined to prove these matters by every legal means available to him.”