President Isaac Herzog's legal adviser, attorney Michal Tzuk, approached the parties in the cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited them to hold talks aimed at reaching understandings. The President's Residence believes that before making a dramatic decision of "yes" or "no" on the pardon request, it would be right to first exhaust the possibility of bringing the parties to a plea bargain outside the courtroom.
The process is intended to examine the possibility of advancing understandings and agreements, and it constitutes only a preliminary stage before the president holds a discussion on the pardon request itself. The parties were asked to arrive promptly, with an open mind and in good faith. It was made clear to the parties that accepting the invitation would not constitute consent or approval on their part regarding any issue in dispute between them in court.
Not expected to grant pardon
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that Herzog was indeed "expected in the coming days to approach the State Attorney's Office and Netanyahu's lawyers in order to initiate talks between the parties."
At the same time, senior Israeli officials familiar with the matter were cited as saying that the president is not expected to grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at this stage, and is examining the possibility of promoting a mediation process that would lead to a plea deal.
