Yedioth Ahronoth: Trump harshly criticized the Israeli president over not granting Netanyahu in corruption cases

US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented attack on his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog over not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in corruption cases has raised widespread questions about the motives and timing of the escalation.

Trump’s comments came hours after he met Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, where he said Thursday that Herzog should be ashamed of himself for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu, who is on trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

Trump had previously asked President Herzog verbally and in writing to pardon Netanyahu, but this time he switched to a public attack tone.

From his part, officials in the Israeli president’s office expressed surprise at the unusual remarks, noting that Herzog didn’t reject the pardon request but referred it to the Justice Ministry for a legal opinion.

The Israeli newspaper questioned the reasons for Trump’s escalation, pointing out that the legal proceedings haven’t witnessed developments in recent weeks, which reinforces the impression that his statements may have been influenced by what he heard directly from Netanyahu during their meeting.

During his visit to Israel in October 2025, Trump asked Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, and later sent an official letter to the effect.

According to sources who spoke to Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu estimates his chances of getting a pardon at only 30%, and believes Herzog fears the so-called deep state in Israel, which he describes as very strong.

“Trump appears to be repeating a similar claim, saying that Herzog fears losing his authority if he signs the pardon,” the sources added.

Trump’s remarks reflect his close relationship with Netanyahu, and suggest a personal sympathy between the two men, with the former apparently believed to share a similar experience of being persecuted by what he calls the deep state.

“So, it’s possible that Trump chose to escalate his rhetoric after Netanyahu told him no progress had been made, and it’s not unlikely that the latter sought a public statement from Trump to speed up the process, possibly portraying Herzog as obstructing it”.

Yedioth Ahronoth said Trump’s remarks appeared to go beyond the limits of pressure to an unusual level between two allies.

Trump has been calling for a pardon for Netanyahu since June 2025, but Monday saw his first attack on Herzog for not granting a pardon to the prime minister.

These statements came a day after Trump met with Netanyahu at the White House, sparking speculation that the Israeli prime minister had raised the issue during their meeting.

The Israeli president’s office responded to Trump’s attack in a statement on Thursday evening.

“Netanyahu’s request is referred in accordance with the procedures to the Justice Ministry for a legal opinion… The President will consider the application only after the completion of the procedures, and without any influence from external or internal pressures”.

“President Herzog appreciates President Trump’s significant contribution to the State of Israel and its security… Israel is a sovereign state governed by laws… Contrary to the impression given by President Trump’s statements, President Herzog hasn’t made any decision on this matter”.

Netanyahu wants a pardon but without any guilty plea, while opposition officials and legal experts say it will be difficult for Herzog to grant him a pardon.

Netanyahu is facing charges of corruption, bribery and dishonesty in three corruption cases known as the more serious “Files 1000”, “2000” and “4000”, for which former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the indictment at the end of November 2019.

“File 1000” concerns Netanyahu and members of his family receiving valuable gifts from businessmen, in exchange for providing them with facilities and assistance in various fields.

In “File 2000,” Netanyahu is accused of negotiating with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Arnon Mozes, in order to obtain positive media coverage.

“File 4000” concerns the provision of facilities to the former owner of the Israeli Wala news website, Shaul Elovitch, who was also an official of the Bezeq telecommunications company, in exchange for positive media coverage.

Netanyahu’s trial in those cases began in 2020, and he denies the validity of the charges against him, claiming that they are a political campaign aimed at overthrowing him.