UPDATE 2-Trump says Netanyahu should be pardoned for corruption

* Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to ⁠be charged with a ​crime and denies ⁠bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment. * Trump has publicly urged ⁠the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzog had told him ​the pardon was on its way.

U.S. President Donald Trump said ​on Thursday Israeli Prime ‌Minister Benjamin ​Netanyahu should receive a pardon for corruption charges, saying Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be "ashamed of himself" for not granting one.

Here ‌are the details: * Trump said Netanyahu has been a great wartime prime minister and that the Israeli people should shame Herzog for not pardoning him. "He's disgraceful for not giving it. He should ‌give it," Trump said during a White House event.

* Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on ‌Wednesday - the seventh meeting between the two leaders since Trump took office last year - for talks about reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program and its ballistic missiles. * Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to ⁠be charged with a ​crime and denies ⁠bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.

* Trump has publicly urged ⁠the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzog had told him ​the pardon was on its way. Herzog's office was quick to dispute it. * ⁠Under Israeli law, the president has the authority to pardon convicts. But there is no precedent for issuing a ⁠pardon mid-trial.

* In ​response to queries about Trump's comment, Herzog's office said Netanyahu's request was under review at the Israeli Ministry of Justice for a legal opinion, and once that process was ⁠completed, Herzog would consider the request. * "Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law. Contrary ⁠to the impression ⁠created by President Trump's remarks, President Herzog has not yet made any decision on this matter," Herzog's office said.

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