U.S. President Donald Trump said Israeli President Isaac Herzog is “disgraceful” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that he “should be ashamed of himself”.
Speaking in the Oval Office a day after meeting Netanyahu at the White House, Trump criticised Herzog for not exercising his clemency powers.
“You have a president who refuses to give him a pardon. He should be ashamed of himself,” Trump told reporters. “He is disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it.”
Trump described Netanyahu as an “extraordinary” wartime leader and said Israelis should pressure Herzog to issue a pardon. He has previously urged clemency publicly and sent a letter to Herzog in November 2025 encouraging him to grant it.
Herzog’s office said no decision has been made.
“Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” the president’s office said in a statement.
“For the sake of clarity, as has been explained repeatedly, the Prime Minister’s request is, according to the procedures, under review at the Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion.”
The statement added that only after that process is completed will Herzog consider the request in accordance with the law and “without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind”.
Herzog’s office also stated that the president “deeply appreciates President Trump for his significant contribution to the State of Israel and its security” but stressed that the legal process must run its course.
Trump has publicly urged the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzog had told him the pardon was on its way. Herzog's office was quick to dispute it.
Netanyahu formally submitted a pardon request on 30 November last year, seeking relief from corruption charges without admitting wrongdoing or stepping down from public life. Despite previously saying he would not seek clemency, he later filed the request.
He has been on trial since 2020 in three cases, known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000, involving allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies all charges.
Under Israeli law, a presidential pardon can generally only be granted following an admission of guilt, and there is no precedent for issuing one while a trial is ongoing.
Beyond the domestic proceedings, Netanyahu is also facing international legal scrutiny. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
As climate pressures and urbanisation accelerate worldwide, governments are increasingly investing in smart cities and villages to build more sustaina...
Four people, including two schoolchildren, have died after a train collided with a school minivan at a level crossing in the northern Belgian town of ...
Japan and the United Nations Development Programme are launching a $3 million environmental project in Kazakhstan to support the Caspian Sea and impro...
Afghanistan has received a new $31.34 million disaster preparedness package and 320 tonnes of food aid from Uzbekistan ahead of Eid al-Adha....
UK shop price inflation rose to 1.2% in May from 1.0% in April as retailers continued to face mounting cost pressures across supply chains, according ...
Armenia’s upcoming elections are emerging as a defining geopolitical test, amid growing debate over the country’s future direction between Russia and the West, rising regional pressure, energy dependence concerns and shifting security alliances.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest visit to Beijing appeared to be more than a routine state meeting between two strategic partners.
A Turkish court ruling reinstating former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu triggered fresh unrest on Sunday (24 May), as riot police stormed the opposition party’s Ankara headquarters amid an escalating political crisis that critics say threatens democratic norms in Türkiye.
For the first time in decades, Armenia has rail access to the EU. The Akhalkalaki–Kars corridor, running through Georgia into Türkiye, is now officially open for Armenian cargo - a quiet but consequential shift in the region’s economic geography.
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 25th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 26 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Tuesday morning (26 May), a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
UK shop price inflation rose to 1.2% in May from 1.0% in April as retailers continued to face mounting cost pressures across supply chains, according to new industry data.
Four people, including two schoolchildren, have died after a train collided with a school minivan at a level crossing in the northern Belgian town of Buggenhout on Tuesday morning, authorities have confirmed.
Seven people have died in France in incidents linked directly or indirectly to an ongoing early-summer heatwave, as large parts of western Europe continue to experience unusually high temperatures.
Thai-based cave divers have joined international efforts to rescue seven villagers trapped in a flooded gold mining cave in remote Laos after days of heavy rain cut off access underground.
Emergency teams rescued 320 tourists stranded in 65 cable cars in Kashmir after a gondola disruption triggered a six-hour evacuation operation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment