President Isaac Herzog reacts to Trump's Benjamin Netanyahu pardon request

ABU DHABI - President Isaac Herzog was en route back to Israel from Australia on Thursday night when United States President Donald Trump publicly urged him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he should be “ashamed” for not doing so.

“I think the people of Israel should really shame him. He’s disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it,” Trump said during a White House event.

The comments reached Herzog mid-flight, aboard a commercial airliner carrying him and his delegation home after a four-day visit.

President Herzog ponders PM's pardon request

On the flight, Herzog gathered his advisers and staff to help formulate a response at 30,000 feet.

In a written statement issued from the plane, the President’s Residence stated that the prime minister’s pardon request is currently with the Justice Ministry for a legal opinion and that only after this process is complete will Herzog consider it.

US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST)

“Only after the process is concluded will the president examine the request in accordance with the law, the good of the state, and his conscience — and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” the statement said.

It added that Herzog “appreciates President Trump for his significant contribution to the State of Israel and its security,” while stressing that Israel is “a sovereign state governed by the rule of law” and that no decision has yet been made.

Asked by one of the reporters traveling with him for his personal reaction, Herzog replied: “To the best of my recollection, I am the president of Israel.”