President Isaac Herzog said Saturday that while he respects US President Donald Trump’s call to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the decision must be guided solely by “the well-being of the Israeli people.”
Netanyahu, charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust—allegations he denies—formally submitted a pardon request last week. Herzog stressed he will review it with “utter seriousness,” adding that friendship with Trump does not override Israeli judicial independence.
Herzog also criticized New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, saying he was “extremely bothered” by Mamdani’s early refusal to condemn anti-Israel slogans and his stated willingness to arrest Netanyahu—a move US domestic law would not permit. Herzog urged him to better understand the many New Yorkers with “Israel in their DNA.”
The president further warned of rising anti-Israel sentiment fueled by shallow social-media narratives, calling it a “brainwashing machine” that ignores Israel’s legal right to self-defense.
