Israeli President: We respect Trump, but Israel is independent.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, in an interview with the Politico website, the Israeli president described Netanyahu’s request for amnesty from the trial process as unforeseen and out of the ordinary. Stressing the importance of equality before the law, he said: “Before granting any pardon to Netanyahu, the circumstances must be assessed.”
Herzog added, “Netanyahu must submit a formal request, and after submitting it, like any other request, his request will also be considered very seriously.”
Herzog emphasized, “We received this request. There is a process through the Ministry of Justice and legal advisors. This is an unforeseen and out of the ordinary request. The most important thing is that I will decide based on what is best for the people of Israel. The interests of the Israelis are my first, second, and third priority.”
He continued: “I respect Trump’s friendship and his opinion, but Israel is independent.”
The Israeli president preferred to evade questions about the possible reaction of the US president if the prime minister is not pardoned.
However, when asked if he was afraid of US President Donald Trump’s reaction if Netanyahu is not pardoned, he said: “I don’t think it would be appropriate to discuss this publicly. Our relations with Trump are warm and open. We should see things in context and not move towards extreme scenarios.”
According to IRNA, after the failure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the process of his corruption trials, he has requested a pardon without admitting his guilt or expressing remorse. This act is an exception to the rule in the Israeli judicial system.
Netanyahu had not submitted his pardon request for years, claiming innocence, and in the current situation, he has resorted to this out of concern about the state of the polls for the upcoming elections and with the aim of trying to stay in power, and wants to avoid the trial process.
It is said that the Zionist regime is creating a crisis on the orders of Netanyahu to manage public opinion regarding his four corruption cases, which is not far-fetched.
US President Donald Trump has supported Netanyahu’s pardon and also emphasized this issue during a visit to occupied Palestine while speaking in the Knesset (Israeli parliament).