US President Donald Trump has said that Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be “ashamed of himself” for not pardoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption charges.
Mr Netanyahu is facing bribery charges but is receiving support from Mr Trump, who told reporters on Thursday that the Israeli Prime Minister, his ally, has been an “extraordinary” leader.
“You have a president that refuses to give him a pardon. I think that man should be ashamed of himself,” Mr Trump said of Mr Herzog.
Israelis should add pressure on Mr Herzog to grant the pardon to Mr Netanyahu, said the US President.
“He’s disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it,” Mr Trump said.
In response to the pressure from Washington, the Israeli President's office said the request was under review at the Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion, and once that process was completed, Mr Herzog would consider the request.
“Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” Mr Herzog's office said. “Contrary to the impression created by President Trump’s remarks, President Herzog has not yet made any decision on this matter.”
Mr Trump held talks with Mr Netanyahu in Washington on Wednesday about negotiations with Iran on its nuclear programme and ballistic missiles.
It was the seventh meeting between the two leaders since Mr Trump took office in January last year. They spoke behind closed doors for nearly three hours in what Mr Trump described as a “very good meeting”, but he said no major decisions were made.
Mr Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. He denies bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.
Mr Trump has previously publicly called on Mr Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, to pardon Mr Netanyahu, and said in late December that Mr Herzog had told him an amnesty was on its way. But Mr Herzog's office was quick to dispute this.
Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts, although there is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.
