Herzog leaves Netanyahu mediation proposal open — Jerusalem Post
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that considerations regarding a possible pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are of a “purely substantive” nature. Before deciding on any pardon request, he offered mediation under the auspices of the presidential residence, the Jerusalem Post reports.
According to Herzog, Netanyahu has not yet responded to the proposal, but the president is not ruling out the possibility of such mediation. Herzog also said that, in his view, the prime minister’s trial should be concluded through an arrangement and a plea deal.
Possible unity government
Political figures are considering a scenario in which neither camp receives 61 seats in the Knesset after the elections. In that case, if Herzog seeks to avoid new elections, the ideas of a unity government and rotation in the position of head of government could return to the agenda.
Sources close to the president did not comment on speculation that the pardon issue could become part of a broader political compromise. They stressed that the matter is being considered solely on its merits. Herzog said he would make every effort to prevent repeat elections and facilitate the formation of a stable government.
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According to the publication’s interlocutors, the law defines the president’s powers in forming a government, but does not regulate all procedural details. This gives the president a certain degree of discretion in organizing the process, although court rulings and precedents are binding.
Precedents for mediation
In 2019, after the elections to the 22nd Knesset, then-President Reuven Rivlin brought together Netanyahu and Benny Gantz in an attempt to facilitate the creation of a unity government. He proposed a model of an equal government and changes to mechanisms related to a prime minister’s inability to perform duties and the position of acting head of government.
Another precedent was described by Israel’s sixth president, Chaim Herzog, after the 1984 elections. He facilitated negotiations between the Maarach bloc and Likud, and a unity government of Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir was subsequently formed with a rotation agreement.
An additional obstacle to forming a coalition could be the conscription law. The publication’s interlocutors familiar with contacts with ultra-Orthodox parties said that at least some factions may remain in opposition until this issue is resolved.
