In an interview published Saturday, President Isaac Herzog said that while he respects US President Donald Trump’s opinion that he should pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption case, Israel is a sovereign country and the decision on whether to grant the premier amnesty will be based on “the well-being of the Israeli people.”
“Everybody understands that any pre-emptive pardon has to be considered on the merits,” the president told the Politico news site, vowing to “deal with it with utter seriousness.”
“I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” he said, referencing Trump’s repeated requests that he pardon Netanyahu.
“Why? Because as I tell many Israelis, it is the same President Trump we begged and asked to bring back our hostages and who led bravely an enormous step to bring back our hostages and get the UN Security Council resolution through. But Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country, and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements.”
“The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority,” Herzog said, in additional remarks to the site made after a formal pardon request was received. The premier petitioned for a pardon last Sunday, but did not admit guilt.
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Netanyahu is charged with one count of bribery and three counts each of fraud and breach of trust, in three separate cases. The charges relate to allegations of improper manipulation of the press and receiving illicit gifts in return for government favors. He denies any wrongdoing and has argued that the charges were fabricated in an attempted political coup by the police and state prosecution.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court to testify in the ongoing corruption trial against him, October 15, 2025. (Reuven Kastro/POOL)
Herzog ‘extremely bothered’ by Mamdani’s statements
The Politico interview came ahead of Herzog’s departure for a visit to New York City, where the recent election of socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor sent shockwaves through the Jewish and pro-Israel communities.
Mamdani declined at first to condemn slogans such as “globalize the intifada” or to call for the disarmament of Hamas, though he later walked back those positions following significant backlash — saying he would “discourage” use of the phrase and that Hamas should give up its weapons. He has said he supports Israel’s right to exist but balked at endorsing its status as a Jewish state, saying he’s opposed to any “hierarchy of citizenship.”
Mamdani has also vowed to order the arrest of Netanyahu should the premier visit New York, citing an International Criminal Court warrant, though domestic law would forbid him from doing so. The warrant accuses Netanyahu of overseeing war crimes in Gaza, charges that Israel strenuously rejects.
“I’m extremely bothered by the statements of Mayor-elect Mamdani,” Herzog told Politico. “The rights of Jews, of the Jewish people, for self-determination and for independence, do not depend on Zohran Mamdani.”
Herzog noted that his father, as Israel’s UN envoy, famously tore up a resolution – since rescinded – declaring Zionism a form of racism. “He also spoke about people throughout the ages, leaders who negated the Jewish people’s rights, and they’ve all disappeared, and their views disappeared,” the president said.
Asked whether he would invite Mamdani to visit Israel, Herzog said: “I think Mayor-elect Mamdani should understand that in his own city, there are so many people who have Israel minted in their DNA, in their love of both America and Israel. He should study better and understand better their viewpoints and not show such disgust and hate.”
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani poses for pictures as he attends a hot chocolate distribution event in New York on December 4, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
The president took issue with growing anti-Israel sentiment in America more broadly, telling Politico, “it comes from TikTok, from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture.”
Herzog said he “respect[s] the debate” around Israel’s war effort, but said: “All I’m asking is for fair reporting, not fake reporting, and not something superficial. You cannot just buy a TikTok message, which you know immediately blames Israel, without understanding what’s behind it. We are operating in self-defense according to international law and we are trying to defend our citizens.”
“There are billions and tens of billions of dollars poured into this brainwashing machine which doesn’t want to tell the real truth,” he lamented. “And we may be all alone, but we will keep on saying the truth: We did not seek this war. We did not want this war.”
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