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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and President Issac Herzog (right) at the opening of the winter assembly of the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, October. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and President Issac Herzog (right) at the opening of the winter assembly of the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, October. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
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, 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 respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding that, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
He added, “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.”