WASHINGTON (VINnews) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be “ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump was asked whether Netanyahu bore responsibility for the security failures that allowed Hamas’s October 7 attack to take place.

“I guess everybody’s responsible,” Trump said, calling the assault a “sneak attack” that “nobody else would have seen coming.” He went on to describe Netanyahu as “a very good wartime prime minister” and pointed to what he called their joint successes in countering Iran.
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Trump then criticized Herzog, arguing that the Israeli president has the authority to issue pardons but has declined to do so in Netanyahu’s case.

“You have a president that refused to give him a pardon… He should be ashamed of himself,” Trump said. He suggested Herzog was reluctant to act despite previously granting other pardons, though he did not provide details.

Trump also said that while hosting Netanyahu in December, he had been told a pardon was forthcoming. Herzog publicly denied that claim at the time, saying the two leaders had not recently spoken and that no decision had been made regarding a pardon.

Herzog’s office said it had previously spoken with a representative of Trump who inquired about a letter sent in November urging clemency for Netanyahu. The office said any decision would be made in accordance with established legal procedures.

Netanyahu’s trial, which began in 2020, centers on allegations that he accepted gifts from wealthy associates and sought favorable media coverage in exchange for regulatory benefits. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.