Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday morning addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request for pardon, during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Herzog acknowledged receiving a personal appeal on the matter from US President Donald Trump, who he "respects tremendously," but stressed that the pardon is under review and will be considered as per Israeli laws and legal regulations, a process which he cannot violate.
"Right now, the request has to go through the procedure of collecting various opinions by the relevant agencies in the Ministry of Justice. I cannot violate that, because of course I have to operate according to the rules," Herzog stressed.
In his opinion, he said, Netanyahu's case "should have been resolved and should be resolved amicably, because it has a very negative impact on our system. And I think that solutions should be found."
He also noted that Netanyahu's ongoing trial is hurting the request for pardon, but the final decision will be made "according to the rules, the law, and my conscience."
Last month, Herzog described Netanyahu's request for pardon to Politico as an "extraordinary" request.
Confirming that his office had received Netanyahu's request for pardon, Herzog stressed: "This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people. The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority."