A day after receiving a bombshell request for a pardon from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog said Monday that he will consider “only the good of the country” in his decision.

In a video statement on Monday, Herzog said that the request to pardon the prime minister from charges leveled in his ongoing corruption trial “will be handled in the most proper and precise way. I will consider only the good of the country and Israeli society.”

He said Netanyahu’s request “unsettles many people in this country, across different communities, and [it] sparks debate.” But the president stressed that “one thing is clear to me — violent discourse does not influence me.

“On the contrary, respectful discourse certainly stimulates discussion and dialogue,” said Herzog, inviting members of the public to visit the President’s Residence’s official website “to express their opinion and respond accordingly.”

While the president is expected to take several weeks before reaching a decision, sources close to the president told The Times of Israel on Monday that he is planning a trip to New York City next week.

His meetings are expected to be primarily with the Jewish community there, according to the sources.

They would not say whether he will meet US President Donald Trump, though the Ynet news site reported Monday that no such meeting was planned.

During a speech to the Knesset in October, Trump appealed directly to Herzog to grant a pardon to Netanyahu.

“I have an idea, why don’t you give Netanyahu a pardon?” Trump said during the speech, adding, “Who cares about cigars........

© The Times of Israel