Herzog stresses that Netanyahu’s pardon is only for Israel

MADRID, December 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli President Isaac Herzog defended this Saturday that the decision on a possible pardon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – accused of corruption – corresponded exclusively to the Israeli authorities, thus rejecting the requests of American President Donald Trump, and assured that any decision in this regard would be taken in the interest of the Israeli people.

Herzog told the American portal Politico that, although he appreciates the friendship and opinion of the tycoon, as well as his role in the release of the hostages in Gaza, Israel is a sovereign country and must maintain the full independence of its judicial system.

“My office has already received the pardon request, as you know. There is a process that goes through the Department of Justice, my legal counsel, etc. This is undoubtedly an extraordinary request and, in handling it, I will consider the best interests of the Israeli people. The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority,” he added.

Netanyahu has been on trial for more than five years for fraud, breach of trust and corruption. Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly asked Herzog to grant him clemency, most recently in a letter sent last Wednesday to the Jewish president and released by the Israeli presidential office.

In the letter, Trump acknowledges the independence of the Israeli judicial system, but emphasizes that the accusations against Netanyahu were fueled by political motivations.

Previously, during his visit to the country last October, the New York tycoon had already insisted that this measure be adopted, downplaying the fact that the Israeli president had accepted gifts from billionaires.

Netanyahu’s trial began in May 2020 and focuses on three separate corruption cases in which he is accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. The most serious of these, known as Case 4000, alleges that the prime minister used his position to benefit the telecoms giant’s majority shareholder Bezeq in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site, a charge he has denied.