According to a report by The Times Of Israel on May 8, 2026, President Isaac Herzog reportedly informed a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a private meeting in March that he could not currently grant the premier a pardon.
The discussion allegedly took place during a tense two-and-a-half-hour meeting at the apartment of a mutual acquaintance. Channel 12 reported that Herzog expressed frustration to right-wing journalist Jacob Bardugo over growing criticism from across Israel’s political divide regarding the possibility of pardoning Netanyahu.
“You don’t understand how everyone hates me now, and partly because of you,” Herzog reportedly told Bardugo. The president was referring to repeated public criticism from the journalist, who has accused Herzog of weakness and urged him to resign for not granting Netanyahu a pardon.
According to the report, Herzog complained that political opponents on both sides were placing him under pressure. “The left thinks I will grant a pardon no matter what. They consider me a suspect before I ever did anything. Meanwhile, you’re inciting the right against me nonstop,” he said.
Herzog also reportedly rejected claims that Netanyahu had properly submitted a pardon request. “How can I grant Netanyahu a pardon when he never even submitted a request for a pardon? What he handed us is not a request and it has no chance of passing,” Herzog was quoted as saying.
The president was referring to a letter submitted earlier this year by Netanyahu’s legal team. Although the document argued that Netanyahu deserved a pardon, it reportedly did not include any admission of responsibility regarding the charges against him.
Channel 12 said Bardugo responded by again urging Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, arguing that such a move could help heal divisions in the country.
“Stop being a coward, stop being afraid,” Bardugo reportedly said…Read_More…