Israel's Attorney General Says She Has Not Yet Reviewed Netanyahu Pardon Request
Trump vs. Herzog: The battle for Netanyahu’s pardon reaches a breaking point. Attorney General Baharav-Miara enters the fray as Israel fights to protect its sovereignty.
Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Sunday she has not yet examined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pardon request, which will be reviewed according to standard procedures.
The clarification came amid escalating tensions between President Donald Trump and Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the pardon issue. Trump attacked Herzog over the weekend, saying "President Herzog should be ashamed" and calling on him to grant Netanyahu a pardon.
"I have not yet reviewed the prime minister's pardon request and it will be examined according to standard procedures. Any other publication on this matter is incorrect," Baharav-Miara said in a statement.
The attorney general felt compelled to issue the statement following reports that she was expected to submit her opinion in coming weeks.
Trump told reporters leaving the White House that he believes Netanyahu will receive a pardon. Over the weekend, he criticized Herzog for not granting clemency, saying the Israeli president "should be ashamed of himself."
"The president of Israel, the main power he has is the power to give pardons and he doesn't... He doesn't want to do it now because apparently he will lose his power," Trump said.
Sources close to Herzog made clear that "if Netanyahu's hand is in this—that crosses a red line. We expect clarifications from the prime minister." The president's office views the matter not only as a personal attack but as a serious blow to Israel's sovereign standing.
Netanyahu's office responded late Saturday, stating: "President Trump's comments the other day regarding the pardon were President Trump's opinion alone." The statement added that Netanyahu "heard about it in the media and did not know about it in advance, just as he did not know in advance about the president's comments on this matter in his Knesset speech."
Trump also said: "Bibi was a good prime minister during wartime, and I think I was the best friend Israel ever had. People say beyond any other presidents they ever had."