Pardon Bibi, End the Circus |
In wartime Israel needs focus, not courtroom theater – a moment for mercy, resilience, and national renewal.
About a year ago, I wrote a column with a simple plea: Let Bibi lead.
At the time, Israel was already navigating one of the most dangerous periods in its modern history. Rockets were flying. Enemies were probing its borders. Strategic decisions were being made almost daily. And yet, in the midst of all this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the country’s longest-serving leader – was also shuttling back and forth to a courtroom.
The image struck me then as surreal. It strikes me the same way today.
Back then I wrote these words:
“Let’s be honest – Israel is not just weathering a storm; it is standing in the eye of one… And at the helm is a leader not just seasoned by time, but one forged in fire.”
A year later, the storm has not passed.
If anything, it has intensified.
Israel has fought a brutal war against Hamas, confronted Iran and its proxies across multiple fronts, and navigated one of the most volatile geopolitical environments since the state’s founding. Through it all, Netanyahu has remained at the center of the storm – managing alliances, directing military strategy, and positioning Israel diplomatically in a rapidly changing Middle East.
And yet, at the same time, the legal circus continues.
The trial that began years ago grinds on – week after week, hearing after hearing – with no clear end in sight. Nearly a decade has passed since the investigations began, and six years since the trial itself started. Even under the most optimistic projections, it could drag on for several more years.
‘Law and wisdom must work together’
In any democracy, the rule of law matters deeply. Israel’s legal system is one of the pillars of its strength. But there are moments in a nation’s life when law and wisdom must work together.
This is one of those moments. It is why I raised the idea of a presidential pardon before – and why I raise it again today. And now something new has happened.
The call for clemency is no longer coming only from voices inside Israel. It has also been amplified by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu.
Trump – himself no stranger to courtroom battles – has called the ongoing prosecution a distraction at a moment when Israel faces historic security challenges. In interviews and statements, he has argued that Netanyahu should be free to concentrate fully on the strategic tasks ahead.
The American president did not mince words. He described Netanyahu as a “very good wartime prime minister” and emphasized the importance of his leadership as Israel confronts Iran and seeks to expand the Abraham Accords.
Many Israelis bristle at foreign leaders weighing in on domestic legal matters. And rightly so. Israel is a sovereign state governed by its own laws and institutions.
But sometimes an outside voice can highlight what insiders have grown too accustomed to seeing.
The spectacle of a wartime prime minister juggling existential decisions by day and courtroom cross-examinations by night is not normal. It is not healthy for the country. And it is certainly not sustainable.
This is not about declaring Netanyahu innocent or guilty. Courts exist precisely to determine those questions.
A pardon, by its very nature, does something different. It is not a verdict. It is an act of mercy – a recognition that sometimes the national interest requires closing a chapter, not litigating it forever.
Israel’s Basic Law grants the president the authority to pardon offenders or reduce sentences. In rare circumstances, that authority can even be exercised before a legal process concludes. Historically, such decisions have been reserved for extraordinary moments when broader considerations come into play.
If ever there were an extraordinary moment, this is it.
Israel today faces a strategic landscape that demands unwavering focus and unity. Iran’s ambitions – even as the United States–Israel military campaign against its terror empire continues – still cast a long shadow over the region. Hamas remains entrenched in Gaza. Hezbollah lingers on Israel’s northern border, its once-vast arsenal diminished but far from irrelevant. At the same time, new diplomatic horizons are opening, including the possibility of expanding the Abraham Accords.
These are not routine policy matters. They are historic decisions that will shape Israel’s future for decades. And leadership in such times cannot afford constant distraction.
Imagine for a moment the absurdity: a prime minister required to testify three days a week in court while simultaneously directing military operations, negotiating with allies, and guiding the nation through war.
Even Netanyahu’s critics must concede that this situation is unusual.
Some argue that the rule of law demands the trial proceed regardless of the circumstances. That principle deserves respect. Equality before the law is essential in any democracy.
But democracy also includes another principle: prudence.
A pardon is not lawlessness. It is part of the legal system itself – a constitutional safety valve designed precisely for moments when strict legal processes collide with larger national realities.
Israel has used this mechanism before. The most famous example was the Bus 300 affair in the 1980s, when senior Shin Bet officials were pardoned before trial in order to protect state interests during a sensitive security crisis. The decision was controversial, but it demonstrated that Israeli leaders understood that sometimes mercy can serve the nation better than prolonged litigation.
Today’s circumstances are different, but the principle remains.
Israel is in the midst of redefining itself after years of war, political division, and geopolitical upheaval. The country is also entering a period of profound opportunity – technological, diplomatic, and economic.
This is the era in which Israel must innovate its future, strengthening its security while expanding peace and prosperity across the region.
To do that, Israel needs leadership that is fully focused.
I have written often about Israel’s remarkable capacity for resilience and renewal. The Jewish state has an almost uncanny ability to emerge stronger after moments of crisis.
But resilience does not mean clinging endlessly to internal battles. Renewal sometimes requires closing wounds – even painful ones – so the nation can move forward.
A presidential pardon for Netanyahu would not erase the controversies of the past decade. Nor would it resolve the fierce political disagreements that divide Israelis.
But it could accomplish something important: it could end the circus.
The endless courtroom drama has become a national obsession that consumes political oxygen and deepens divisions. It has turned legal proceedings into political theater and political debates into legal warfare.
Ending the trial through a pardon would not settle every argument. But it would remove one of the most combustible flashpoints in Israeli public life.
It would also allow Netanyahu – whether one loves him or loathes him – to devote his full attention to the challenges facing the country.
And those challenges are immense.
The US-Israel campaign to dismantle Iran’s terror empire is still very much underway. President Trump’s vision for Gaza and the wider stabilization of the region will require diplomacy of the highest order. New openings for normalization with Arab states may likewise be emerging. Meanwhile, Israel’s remarkable innovation economy continues to power global breakthroughs – from cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to defense technologies that protect not only Israelis, but democratic allies across the world.
These are the issues that should dominate the prime minister’s schedule – not arguments over cigars, champagne, and media coverage that date back nearly a decade.
Critics fear that a pardon could damage the rule of law. That concern deserves to be heard.
But the rule of law does not exist in a vacuum. It exists to serve the nation. And sometimes the most lawful choice available is the one that promotes stability, unity, and the common good.
Ultimately, the decision lies with President Isaac Herzog. The process is underway, with legal opinions being gathered and procedures followed. As the country’s head of state, Herzog carries the weight of making a judgment that will resonate throughout Israeli society.
My appeal to him is simple. Consider the moment. Consider the stakes. Consider the reality that Israel today stands at a historic crossroads – balancing extraordinary dangers with extraordinary opportunities. And consider the man at the center of it all.
I readily acknowledge that Benjamin Netanyahu is a polarizing figure. Few leaders in Israel’s history have inspired such fervent admiration – and such equally passionate opposition.
But even many of his critics concede his formidable strategic instincts, his global stature, and his rare ability to navigate the treacherous currents of geopolitics. To me, he remains a leader’s leader – a man who roars where others merely whisper. He is, not to put too fine a point on it, Churchillian in both resolve and defiance.
Ultimately, history will render its verdict on his legacy, in its own time.
For now, the question before Israel is more immediate.
Will Israel continue the spectacle of a wartime prime minister fighting battles in both the courtroom and the war room? Or will it choose, in this extraordinary moment, to close one chapter so the nation can focus on the next?
My answer has not changed since last year.
Let the courts move on to other matters.
Let the country turn its attention to the future – to resilience, renewal, and the enduring miracle of Israel.
And above all, let Israel end this circus.