Herzog\u2019s legal adviser Michal Tzuk stated in a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the head of Israel\u2019s prosecution service, and Netanyahu\u2019s lawyer Amit Hadad that an \u201carrangement\u201d would be in the interest of the country, and said that the president had publicly expressed this position several times.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are therefore invited to come to the President\u2019s Residence as soon as possible to establish the necessary process for holding these talks with a willing heart and with good and appropriate intentions, with both sides entering the room free of commitments and conditions,\u201d Tzuk wrote to Baharav-Miara and Hadad.<\/p>\n
She asked them to reply to the invitation by May 3.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Herzog has held off on granting Netanyahu a pardon despite immense pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has personally lashed out at Herzog multiple times, calling him \u201cweak and pathetic\u201d and demanding that he immediately pardon the prime minister.<\/p>\n \t Netanyahu\u2019s supporters have echoed that request, insisting on Netanyahu\u2019s innocence and saying the trial is dividing the country. Netanyahu\u2019s opponents, meanwhile, have urged the president not to grant the premier clemency unless he admits guilt and resigns from political life.<\/p>\n Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to go on trial. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that the cases against him \u2014 which concern allegations that he traded political favors for gifts and favorable press coverage \u2014 are a witch hunt and a political coup attempt fabricated by his opponents.<\/p>\n The prime minister formally requested a pardon in November, arguing that the trial was tearing the country apart and distracting him from his duties. But he did not admit guilt, raising the question of whether he could receive a pardon while his trial was ongoing.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Netanyahu testified<\/a> for the first time in over two months, after a pause due to the Iran war.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tActivists demonstrate in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the District Court in Tel Aviv, during his trial, January 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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