What Has Been Revealed This Week About President Herzog’s Interference In The Corruption Investigation Against Netanyahu Is Enough To Disqualify Him From Dealing With The PM’s Legal Affairs, And He Must Say So Publicly | Haaretz…

January 2, 2025 TheMcgwire

What Has Been Revealed This Week About President Herzog’s Interference In The Corruption Investigation Against Netanyahu Is Enough To Disqualify Him From Dealing With The PM’s Legal Affairs, And He Must Say So Publicly | Haaretz Editorial

Israel’s Tainted President Does Not Have the Authority to Pardon Netanyahu

President Isaac Herzog was asked two weeks ago… about being asked to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu should the prime minister be convicted in his corruption trial…

But Gidi Weitz’s scoop about Herzog’s eyebrow-raising interference in the investigations against Netanyahu ought to prevent him from dealing with this issue if he is asked. Weitz revealed that in 2017, while serving as leader of the opposition, Herzog paid a surprise visit to the home of the key witness in the lavish gifts case, Hadas Klein, who at that time was businessman Arnon Milchan’s top aide.

Netanyahu and his wife received numerous gifts from Milchan.. Herzog asked Klein to safely stash away his own and her cellphones and then shared a secret with her: I know Netanyahu’s version, he said; he claims that you forced him to accept those gifts. According to a source familiar with the details of the meeting, Klein felt that Herzog had come to her home not to help her, but rather to help Netanyahu – “to play with my head,” a legal source quoted her as saying.

According to Weitz’s report, Herzog also had a close relationship with Milchan and even made use of his deep pockets to pay a key political aide and another man.

… this revelation puts Herzog in a new, crystal-clear situation: He is tainted by involvement in this case, both because of his ties with Milchan, who provided him with benefits, and because he decided to meet with Klein and speak with her about the Netanyahu investigation.

Because he is tainted, Herzog must recuse himself from any future involvement in potentially granting a pardon to Netanyahu. Herzog and Netanyahu weren’t just political rivals; for years, they had a friendly relationship. They spent time with and enjoyed the company of the same tycoon, and Netanyahu even supported Herzog’s candidacy for president, even though Herzog is from the left (the same left that Netanyahu vilifies nonstop, including on the witness stand).

What has been revealed is enough to disqualify Herzog from dealing with Netanyahu’s legal affairs, and he must say so publicly.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ Haaretz [Archive]

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