Israel's President Isaac Herzog is not expected to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon at this stage and is examining the possibility of promoting a mediation process that would lead to a plea bargain, The New York Times reported, citing senior Israeli officials familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Herzog believes there are alternatives beyond granting or rejecting a pardon, and that his central role is to work toward unity. Accordingly, he prefers to try to advance a solution through negotiations between the parties rather than rule now on the request submitted by Netanyahu.
The President's Office said in response that "President Isaac Herzog has stated more than once that he views reaching an agreed solution between the parties as an important public interest. As for the pardon request, the president will act solely in accordance with the law, guided by his conscience and for the good of the State of Israel."
According to the report, Herzog is aware of the public and political sensitivity of the issue, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing war and the elections expected in about six months. Officials familiar with the details said any decision, whether to grant or reject a pardon, was expected to affect the political system and public discourse.
As a reminder, the accepted rule in Israel is that a pardon is granted after a conviction, and the Justice Ministry recently made clear that there was no basis for granting a preemptive pardon unless the defendant admits guilt or assumes responsibility in some other way. However, it was noted that broader considerations, including public and security implications, are not solely within the authority of legal officials.
According to the report, Herzog is examining the possibility of promoting informal contacts under presidential auspices between representatives of the State Prosecutor's Office and Netanyahu's defense team in an attempt to reach an arrangement. Officials familiar with the matter said that even if the chances of this are low, Herzog sees it as a possible way to reduce divisions in Israeli society.
In response to the reports and to questions from reporters, the President's Residence said that "as he has stated several times in the past, President Isaac Herzog views reaching an arrangement between the parties in Prime Minister Netanyahu's cases as a proper and correct solution. Contacts toward an arrangement are a necessary part of the attempt to bring the parties to agreements. The president therefore believes it is right, first, before deliberating on the pardon request itself, to exhaust a process that could lead to the formulation of an arrangement between the parties outside the walls of the court."
