Israeli President Isaac Herzog is not expected to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at this stage, according to senior Israeli officials cited by The New York Times. Instead, Herzog is pushing for mediation between Netanyahu’s defense team and prosecutors, a move aimed at shifting one of Israel’s most explosive legal questions away from an all-or-nothing presidential ruling and toward a negotiated endgame.

The decision matters because Netanyahu’s pardon request sits at the intersection of law, war, politics and national unity. Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face criminal charges, and his long-running trial includes allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. He denies all wrongdoing and has repeatedly described the case as a political witch hunt by hostile legal, media and law-enforcement forces.

Israel’s president has the authority to grant pardons, but doing so before a verdict is considered rare and exceptional. Herzog’s office previously called Netanyahu’s request an “extraordinary” matter with major implications and said the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department would collect opinions before the president’s legal adviser makes a recommendation.

Herzog does not want the matter reduced to a binary choice between approving or rejecting a pardon. His office said he views an amicable resolution between the parties as an important public interest, while stressing that any decision on the pardon itself would be made under Israeli law, guided by conscience and Israel’s national interest.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, arguing that the case is politically driven and that Israel’s wartime leader should not be dragged through court while managing major security and diplomatic challenges. Trump also sent Herzog a formal letter calling for a full pardon, describing Netanyahu as a decisive wartime prime minister and saying it was time to let him “unite Israel.”

But Herzog appears determined to avoid a move that could be seen as bending Israel’s legal system under political or foreign pressure. A direct pardon without a verdict, guilt admission or agreed legal framework would almost certainly ignite a constitutional and public firestorm. A plea deal, by contrast, could give every side a controlled off-ramp, though the terms would be brutal to negotiate.