President Isaac Herzog has canceled a planned trip to New York, where he was scheduled to attend a major rabbinical ordination ceremony at the Jewish Theological Seminary. His office cited a heavy travel schedule and the sensitive regional situation as the reasons for the decision.

A person familiar with the planning claimed the cancellation stemmed from concerns that President Donald Trump might pressure Herzog over a potential pardon request involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the source, there were fears Trump could attempt to detain, delay, or summon Herzog for talks on the matter. Herzog's office strongly denied the allegation, calling it 'fake news' and a complete fabrication.

The president's office said the decision to cancel was made about a month ago and noted that Herzog had already recorded a video message for the ceremony. It also emphasized his recent international trips and upcoming visits to communities in the United States as evidence that the cancellation was unrelated to any political pressure.