Trump’s Attack on Israel’s President Touches a Nerve

President Trump called Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, “disgraceful” for not pardoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pressing the point to reporters at the White House and saying, “The people of Israel should really shame him.” The blunt intervention into Israeli domestic affairs and its insulting tone provoked a rare open spat between allies, drawing pushback from some senior Israeli officials while allies of Mr.

Netanyahu sided with Mr. Trump. Mr. Herzog’s office responded that he had not yet reached a decision and that the matter remained 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 also noting Mr.

Trump’s “significant contribution” to Israel’s security and adding, “Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.” Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N.

Israel

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