Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Isaac Herzog says he has “made clear numerous times” that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request “has to go through a certain procedure.”
“Right now, the request has to go through the procedure of collecting various opinions by the relevant agencies in the Ministry of Justice,” he tells Fareed Zakaria. “I cannot violate that, because of course I have to operate according to the rules.”
“I respect President Trump tremendously,” says Herzog, “and of course we have our own legal system and I will operate within its [bounds].”
Herzog says that Netanyahu’s court case “should have been resolved and should be resolved amicably, because it has a very negative impact on our system. And I think that solutions should be found.”
He says he will make his decision independently, “according to the rules, the law, and my conscience.”
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 22, 2026
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