President Herzog Delays Decision on Prime Minister Netanyahu's Pardon Request

Apr 26, 2026, 11:52

Introduction

President Isaac Herzog has announced that he will wait to consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request for a pardon. The President stated that this decision will be postponed until all options for a plea agreement in the Prime Minister's corruption trial have been fully explored.

Main Body

Benjamin Netanyahu is the first sitting prime minister in Israel's history to face criminal charges, including fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. These legal issues began with investigations ten years ago and led to a formal indictment in 2019. Despite these charges, Mr. Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations. In November, the Prime Minister submitted a formal request for a pardon. Although Israeli law allows the president to pardon convicted people, there is no previous legal example of granting a pardon while a trial is still happening. The trial began in 2020 and is expected to resume this week. President Herzog emphasized that a settlement outside of court would be the best solution. Furthermore, reports suggest that the presidency may help organize mediation for a plea bargain. While the President's office refused to give more details and the Prime Minister's office has not responded, external pressure remains high. For instance, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged for a pardon. Meanwhile, these legal battles have contributed to political instability, resulting in five elections between 2019 and 2022.

Conclusion

The presidency has decided to prioritize a plea agreement over an immediate pardon, ensuring that the legal process continues as the trial restarts.

Vocabulary Learning

allegation (n.)
claim / a statement, made without giving proof, that someone has done something wrong or illegal指控；聲稱
Example:The company denied the allegations of unfair treatment of its employees.
instability (n.)
uncertainty / a state in which things are not steady and can change suddenly and unexpectedly不穩；動盪
Example:Economic instability can lead to a decrease in consumer spending.
mediation (n.)
negotiation / the process by which someone tries to end a disagreement by talking to the people involved調解；斡旋
Example:The two companies entered mediation to resolve their dispute over the contract.
postpone (v.)
delay / to decide that something will not be done at the time when it was planned for延期；推遲
Example:The meeting was postponed until next week due to the bad weather.
prioritize (v.)
rank / to decide which of a group of things are the most important so that you can deal with them first優先處理；確定優先次序
Example:You need to prioritize your tasks to ensure the most urgent ones are completed first.

Sentence Learning

The President stated that this decision will be postponed until all options for a plea agreement in the Prime Minister's corruption trial have been fully explored.
Passive Voice: The passive voice ("will be postponed" and "have been explored") is used to focus on the decision and actions rather than the agent, maintaining a formal tone.被動語態: 此處使用被動語態（「will be postponed」及「have been explored」）將焦點放在決定和行動而非執行者，以保持正式語調。
Despite these charges, Mr. Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations.
Linking Word - Contrast: "Despite" is used to introduce a contrast, followed by a noun phrase, showing that the denial continues regardless of the charges.連接詞 - 對比: 「Despite」（儘管）用於引出對比，後接名詞短語，表示無論指控如何，否認仍在持續。
Although Israeli law allows the president to pardon convicted people, there is no previous legal example of granting a pardon while a trial is still happening.
Conjunction of Concession: "Although" introduces a factual concession, creating a complex sentence structure that balances legal possibility with historical reality.讓步連詞: 「Although」（雖然）引導一個事實讓步，構建了一個平衡法律可能性與歷史現實的複合句結構。
While the President's office refused to give more details and the Prime Minister's office has not responded, external pressure remains high.
Subordinating Conjunction: "While" functions as a connector to show contrast between the lack of official communication and the ongoing external pressure.從屬連詞: 「While」（儘管）作為連接詞，用以顯示官方缺乏溝通與持續的外界壓力之間的對比。
The presidency has decided to prioritize a plea agreement over an immediate pardon, ensuring that the legal process continues as the trial restarts.
Present Participle Clause: The phrase starting with "ensuring" acts as a resultative clause, providing additional information about the consequence of the main action.現在分詞短句: 以「ensuring」開頭的短語作為結果子句，提供了關於主句行動之結果的補充資訊。