The Ultimate Plea? Herzog Proposes Surprising New Legal Escape for Netanyahu
It’s not just a pardon anymore. New reports reveal a strategic "criminal mediation" plan being discussed behind closed doors at the President’s Residence.
As the legal and political battle over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future intensifies, a new strategic path has emerged from the President’s Residence. President Isaac Herzog has reportedly suggested a dual-track approach to the Prime Minister: pursuing criminal mediation in tandem with the ongoing request for a presidential pardon.
The Pardon Process Moves Forward
Minister Amichai Eliyahu is expected to submit his formal recommendation regarding Netanyahu’s pardon request to President Herzog today (Monday). The authority to handle the request was transferred to Eliyahu by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who recused himself due to his close ties to the Prime Minister.
While Minister Eliyahu is widely expected to recommend the pardon, he is doing so ahead of an anticipated formal objection from the Attorney General’s office. Legal experts argue that granting a pardon at this stage is "difficult to impossible," citing that the criminal proceedings are still active, a verdict has not been reached, and the Prime Minister has neither confessed nor expressed remorse, standard prerequisites for presidential clemency.
The "Parallel Track" Proposal
According to a report in Maariv, President Herzog’s circle has proposed a secondary route to Netanyahu’s team to avoid a legal dead end. The suggestion involves opening a criminal mediation channel while the pardon request remains on the table.
The logic behind the proposal is tactical:
As of Monday morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not issued a formal response to the mediation proposal. The development comes at a sensitive time, as the President’s traditional pardon authority is being legally scrutinized in the context of an ongoing trial.