President Isaac Herzog on Sunday rebuffed, at least temporarily, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon regarding the corruption charges for which he is on trial,  saying that he would instead push for fresh talks to try and mediate a plea deal between the premier and the Attorney General.

Herzog’s statement came after a report in The New York Times said the president would seek mediation because he believes his job is to foster unity in Israel. Netanyahu’s trial on charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust, which began in 2020, has divided the country along political lines. Herzog reportedly feels that those tensions have been exacerbated by Israel’s recent wars and this year’s election, which is due to take place in six months.

Herzog’s statement on Sunday confirmed that he wouldn’t be issuing a pardon to the prime minister at this point.

“As he has said several times in the past, President Isaac Herzog sees reaching an agreement between the parties in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cases as a proper and correct solution,” Herzog’s office said.

“Negotiations for an arrangement are a necessary part of the attempt to bring the parties to an agreement,” he continued. “Therefore, the president believes that it is right to first, before discussing the pardon request itself, exhaust a process that could lead to the formation of an agreement between the parties, outside the walls of the court.”

Herzog has held off on granting Netanyahu a pardon despite immense pressure from US President Donald Trump. Trump has personally lashed out at Herzog multiple times, calling him “weak and pathetic” and demanding that he immediately pardon the prime minister.

Netanyahu’s supporters have echoed that request, insisting on Netanyahu’s innocence and saying the trial is dividing the country. Netanyahu’s opponents, meanwhile, have urged the president not to grant the premier clemency........

© The Times of Israel