Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog has refused to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a corruption case. He intends to first mediate a plea agreement. It is reported by the New York Times.
The Duke says neither "yes" nor "no" to the petition for clemency. He believes that first it is necessary to exhaust the possibility of concluding a deal between Netanyahu's defense and the prosecutor's office in order to settle the case out of court. The president sees this approach as a way to reduce political tensions in Israeli society, which have worsened due to the war and the upcoming elections.
Netanyahu is the first acting Israeli prime minister to stand trial. He denies all charges. The Ministry of Justice has previously indicated that a pardon before sentencing and without a guilty plea would be "extremely problematic."
Lawyers note that in order to conclude a deal, Netanyahu will most likely need not only to admit guilt, but also to leave politics — at least to resign. So far he has not demonstrated such readiness.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on the Duke to immediately pardon Netanyahu, calling the delay in the decision a "weakness."
Yitzhak Herzog intends to personally mediate between Netanyahu's lawyers and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. This will not be an easy task, given that the Netanyahu government has repeatedly tried to dismiss the prosecutor General.
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