President Herzog halts review of Netanyahu's pardon request

We are in the middle of a war — a literal fight for Israel’s survival — and yet President Herzog is insisting that Prime Minister Netanyahu continue appearing in court over allegations that boil down to cigars and a bottle of wine from years ago.

Anyone following the trial knows what’s happening: witness after witness has contradicted earlier claims, and the case is collapsing under its own weight. Herzog is fully aware of this. And still, he pushes for Netanyahu to be dragged back into court, day after day, while he is responsible for running a country at war.

This isn’t about “rule of law.” This isn’t about “ethics.” This is about politics — the same political pressure that has been applied since the moment Netanyahu returned to office.

Herzog comes from the ideological left, and his insistence on keeping the trial alive during wartime serves one purpose: to weaken Netanyahu, distract him, and undermine the government at the very moment Israel needs stability and unity.

You don’t have to agree with Netanyahu on everything to see how absurd this is. No functioning democracy demands that its wartime leader leave the war room to sit in a courtroom over gifts worth less than a weekend vacation.

Israel is fighting on multiple fronts — Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, the international arena — and the idea that the Prime Minister should be pulled away from managing all of this to deal with a trial that is falling apart is beyond irresponsible.

It’s dangerous.

And Israelis see it.

 President Isaac Herzog has decided to completely freeze all further review of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official pardon request, Kan 11 News reported Sunday evening.

According to the report, Herzog's decision was made after the Prime Minister's team failed to respond to an initiative to open a direct channel of communication aimed at exploring an agreed-upon compromise framework for his trial.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara was briefed on the details and expressed her support in principle for the move. However, Netanyahu chose not to reply to the President's overture.

Sources close to the President interpreted Netanyahu's silence as a lack of willingness to cooperate, leading to the decision to remove the matter from the agenda and freeze the process.

Legal experts note that this decision carries critical significance, as Netanyahu's testimony in his criminal trial is expected to conclude shortly - and once it does, the pardon request may become obsolete.