President Isaac Herzog said that while he respected US President Donald Trump’s request for him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country, and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements,” during an interview with Politico that was published on Saturday.
Herzog added that he would only act “in the best interest of the Israeli people” and would consider that matter carefully. He said the prime minister “has to submit an application, a request, and if and when it will happen, it will be, of course, considered duly.”
Herzog also addressed in the interview concerns about American attitudes toward Israel changing, saying that the rising hostility “comes from TikTok, from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture.”
“The issue is that we are faced by a very aggressive PR [machine], which is also supported by allies of Hamas, which is over-inflated around the world,” Politico quoted him as saying.
“And I keep on saying, what I regret mostly, and what really aches, is the pain of innocent civilians in Gaza who are going through this hell whilst there is a future in their hands. We all supported rebuilding Gaza, but in order to rebuild Gaza, you have to get the mob out of the city. We have to get the terrorists out of the city.”
Herzog emphasized that he respects US citizens and the United States as a democracy. He also stated that in order to face “the very aggressive PR [machine],” Israel must improve in how it explains itself.
Shifting the conversation towards New York City
Herzog also spoke about New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the interview, noting that he will visit the city to receive an honorary doctorate at Yeshiva University. While bothered by Mamdani’s statements, Herzog told Politico that “the rights of Jews, of the Jewish people, for self-determination and for independence, do not depend on Zohran Mamdani.”
When asked if Mamdani should visit the Jewish state, Herzog did not answer directly, instead expressing that the mayor-elect should understand that “there are so many people who have Israel minted in their DNA. He should study better and understand better their viewpoints and not show such disgust and hate.”