WASHINGTON – Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that his presidential role is God-given and that he carries a “huge” emotional weight on his shoulders.
In an interview with Politico published Saturday, Herzog said “there are many, many issues to discuss” following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pre-emptive pardon.
When asked if he is concerned about political retaliation from U.S. President Donald Trump if he doesn’t pardon Netanyahu, Herzog replied, “I really don’t think I should discuss such an issue publicly.”
He continued, “I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding that, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
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Herzog told Politico, “Our relations with President Trump and with his administration are warm, frank and open. We should see it in the right context, and not immediately go to all sorts of doomsday analysis.”
On New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, Herzog said he is “extremely bothered” by his statements, adding that the mayor-elect “should understand that so many people have Israel in their DNA” and “should study and understand their viewpoints better, and not show such disgust and hate.”
He also said it will be “very interesting” to see Israelis’ attitude toward the Palestinians in the country’s next election.
Herzog told the magazine, “The emotional weight that I carry on my shoulders is huge, but I’m very proud of it that God gave me this role at this moment, to be there for Israel in its most difficult hour.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon “deeply unsettles” many Israelis, but stressed that he would weigh the matter solely by “the good of the state and Israeli society.”
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“I understand very well that it is deeply unsettling for many people across the country and different communities, and that it sparks debate,” Herzog said, adding that he would not be moved by “violent rhetoric” surrounding the request.
“Respectful discourse provokes discussion and stimulates dialogue, and I invite the Israeli public to the President’s Residence to express their opinion.”
Herzog’s remarks came a day after Netanyahu formally asked him to intervene in his corruption trial – a move the president’s office said on Sunday “has not yet been discussed” and to which no conditions have been attached. The office emphasized that Herzog “will not be swayed by pressure from any direction” and would handle the matter “responsibly and with due seriousness.”
Netanyahu’s attorneys wrote on Sunday that a pardon would allow the prime minister to remain in office and “devote all his energy, time and abilities to strengthening the State of Israel.”