Trump made the remarks Thursday, shortly after Netanyahu departed Washington at the end of a brief visit. "The Israeli president should be ashamed that he has still not granted a pardon to Prime Minister Netanyahu," Trump said.
Herzog heard the comments while flying back to Israel from a multi-day state visit to Australia. He responded in an official statement, saying: "Israel is a sovereign state."
On Friday, Trump was asked again about the issue and said he was convinced that Netanyahu would receive a pardon.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry is expected in the coming days to transfer its legal opinion regarding a possible pardon for Netanyahu to the President's Residence, where the Pardon Department operates. The opinion is being formulated by representatives of the attorney general, the State Attorney's Office and the ministry's Pardon Department.
As of now, no official response has been issued by Netanyahu or by the Likud party. However, sources close to Likud estimate that the prime minister is expected to contact Herzog this week in an effort to ease tensions.
