After Trump claims Netanyahu’s pardon 'on its way', Israeli prez says 'no such conversation'

US President Donald Trump reannounced his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (Dec 29) for his pardon request in the criminal trial against him. The American president claimed that Israel’s president told him clemency is “on its way.” “How do you not give a pardon? He is a wartime prime minister who is a hero,” Trump said alongside Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. “I spoke with President Isaac Herzog. He tells me it is on its way.”

Soon after this, Herzog’s office issued a statement contradicting Trump’s account, stating: “There has been no conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted.” According to the president’s office, a few weeks ago, “Herzog spoke with a Trump representative who inquired about the request and received an explanation of the process and that any decision would follow standard procedures”.

This was ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting in Florida, where the Israeli PM heavily praised the US President. “I’ll say it again and again and again. We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House. It’s not even close,” Netanyahu told reporters.

“I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States, and I’ll say leading the free world at this time. I think it’s not merely Israel’s great fortune. I think it’s the world’s great fortune," he added.

Trump - Netanyahu meeting

The American president said ahead of the meeting that the Palestinian militant group Hamas must disarm. "Every hostage has been released was released because of us. And none, thanks to the Biden administration. Only one is left, and we are doing our best to get his body back," Trump said.

The American president, ahead of the meeting, suggested that he would try to get the second phase of the Gaza peace plan started “as quickly as we can.” “Very quickly, as quickly as we can, but there has to be a disarmament, we have to disarm with Hamas,” the president told CNN’s Kevin Liptak outside of Mar-a-Lago.

Trump also said that without Netanyahu, Israel would not have existed at present. “He is a very strong man, Israel won't have existed today without him,” Trump said.