President Trump’s public excoriation of Israel’s president because he has not yet pardoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his long-running corruption trial has touched a nerve in Israel.
Mr. Trump called President Isaac Herzog “disgraceful” while speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday.
“The people of Israel should really shame him” for not letting Mr. Netanyahu off the hook, Mr. Trump said.
The blatant intervention into Israeli domestic affairs, together with the insulting tone, developed into a rare, open spat between allies over the honor of the Israeli president, who is largely a figurehead. The affront prompted pushback from some senior Israeli officials — including Mr. Herzog — while some staunch supporters of Mr. Netanyahu sided with Mr. Trump.
The comments clearly stung Mr. Herzog. A statement from his office on Thursday night clarified that Mr. Herzog had not yet reached a decision regarding a pardon and that the matter was still under review by the Ministry of Justice.
“Only upon completion of that process will President Herzog consider the request in accordance with the law, the best interests of the State of Israel, guided by his conscience, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” the statement said.
While expressing appreciation for Mr. Trump’s “significant contribution” to Israel’s security, the statement added pointedly, “Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.”
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and a former minister in Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party, told Israel’s Army Radio on Sunday that he appreciated and respected Mr. Trump.
“I expect him also to appreciate and respect our president, President Herzog,” he added. “Regarding the style,” Mr. Dannon said of Mr. Trump’s outburst, “I think he should have said it in a different way.”
President Trump made his remarks a day after holding talks with Mr. Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, fueling speculation in Israel that the prime minister may have put Mr. Trump up to it. Mr. Netanyahu’s aides denied that late on Saturday.
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“The prime minister heard about it from the media and did not know about it in advance,” a statement by representatives of Mr. Netanyahu said.
Mr. Netanyahu has been on trial for five years. Charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, he is battling three separate, but interlocking cases centering on accusations that he arranged favors for tycoons in exchange for gifts and sympathetic media coverage for himself and his family.
He denies all wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a political witch hunt by a liberal “deep state.”
The trial has deeply divided Israel and Mr. Trump has repeatedly waded into the morass, pressing Mr. Herzog to pardon Mr. Netanyahu.
In October, during a visit to Israel, Mr. Trump made a rambling address to the Israeli Parliament during which he turned to Mr. Herzog on the podium and said, “Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon?”
A month later, Mr. Trump wrote a letter to the Israeli president asking him to grant Mr. Netanyahu a full pardon, again putting Mr. Herzog on the spot.
Two weeks after that, in late November, Mr. Netanyahu submitted a formal, pre-emptive request for a pardon that Mr. Herzog called “extraordinary.” Critics said granting it would run counter to the rule of law, not least because the trial was still going on.
The role of president in Israel is largely ceremonial and granting pardons is one of the few powers Mr. Herzog has. But the general rule, according to experts, is that a president can pardon people who have been convicted. They say that a request for a pre-emptive pardon subverted a cornerstone of Israeli democracy: the principle of equality before the law.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump erroneously accused Mr. Herzog of refusing to grant Mr. Netanyahu a pardon.
“He said he’s given it five different times, but he doesn’t want to do it because, I guess he loses his power,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s disgraceful for not giving it,” he added. “He should be ashamed of himself.”
Miri Regev, an Israeli government minister and Netanyahu loyalist, defended Mr. Trump, saying in radio interviews over the weekend that Mr. Netanyahu’s trial should have been called off and that it was a shame that Mr. Trump had to keep repeating himself regarding Mr. Herzog’s delay over the pardon.
Isabel Kershner, a senior correspondent for The Times in Jerusalem, has been reporting on Israeli and Palestinian affairs since 1990.
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