Netanyahu is right. This trial, if his pardon request is not accepted, will continue for many, many years. And this trial is one of the most serious blows ever inflicted on Israel. The trial is the main reason behind the judicial‑reform initiative of Yariv Levin at the start of 2023. This trial plunged Israel into a constitutional whirl that threatens to consume it. This trial produced one of the deepest — if not the deepest — rifts in the history of the state. And that rift, very likely, encouraged Hamas to carry out the largest massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, and all those who stood with them.
That rift threatens to destroy us. There was a brief period of unity after the terror attack. But we returned to the same place. The Likud resumed legislative initiatives that — even if they won’t reach a third reading — clearly damage Israel. Just like the damage that deepened throughout 2023, up to October 7.
We already know that such initiatives weaken Israel. We know they encourage Israel’s enemies and those who hate Israel. Yet Likud won’t give up. The judicial overhaul is back. And it is dangerous. It includes harmful measures like the “draft‑dodging law,” among other legislative proposals for which there is no broad public mandate. But in Israel there is a crushing coalition that depends on ultra‑Orthodox parties on one hand and anti‑Zionist right-wingers on the other. The results are destructive.
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The rift caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial threatens to destroy us
(Photo: Miriam Alster)
We must stop this destruction. Therefore, when Netanyahu says that his ongoing trial — which no one sees ending — deepens the discord and causes tears, he is correct. But he is the one creating those tears. He and his associates. Thus it would be right to grant his request, under the condition that both parts of his request are fulfilled. First: healing the rifts. Then: a pardon. And that can only be done by halting the legislation. That legislation is a side effect of the trial, but it is what deepens the rift.
Yes, the Pavlovian claim that’s been echoed for a long time — and certainly since Friday afternoon, when the pardon request was made public — is that granting the pardon would be a serious blow to the rule of law. This claim is fundamentally wrong. Because the most serious blow to the rule of law is the outcome of what has happened so far because of the trial — and what awaits us if the trial continues. The severe damage — in the circumstances created — is also a result of “the law will ride roughshod over us”. What exactly do we want? To continue the self‑destruction and harm to the rule of law — or to start a healing process?
The pardon request is a historic opportunity. We cannot miss it.
It must be said: some of Netanyahu’s claims are not fabricated. His conduct, which led to the indictments, was corrupt. Possibly even criminal. Yet it is hard to ignore the sense that, even assuming there was no conspiracy at the top of the prosecution, there was political motivation. These were the investigative methods. These were the tendentious leaks — even before defense counsel saw the case materials. And also the refusal of the attorney general, even to this day, to initiate a criminal mediation process that could have saved us from part — at least part — of the damages of a trial that sometimes resembles a circus.
From a legal standpoint — there is no precedent for a “pardon in exchange for stopping legislation,” especially without an admission of guilt. But law is not an exact science. This is exactly where President Isaac Herzog should step in.
Ironically, the very accusations against him — that he is a compromiser — now stand in his favor. Because we need a compromise. He tried to build one during the protests against the judicial overhaul. But the hardliners, mainly Levin and his supporters, blocked it. It’s hard to forget the appeals of Yoav Gallant, with Netanyahu in the middle and Levin at his side, rejecting any compromise, although on that day IDF generals came to the Knesset to warn of the damage to national security.
So, we should welcome the pardon request. Because it gives Herzog a tremendous lever. Want a pardon? Please. But the only way to heal the rifts is to stop the crushing legislation. Let’s not be mistaken. That does not mean we must paralyze all legislation. But to realize Netanyahu’s dual request for both a pardon and national healing means that legislation which creates the rifts — legislation advancing draft‑dodging, legislation affecting the system of government, justice, democracy — must be passed only, and only, by broad consensus.
We have a president who is not only a compromiser — and that is not said in condemnation — but also wise. He is a mapainik, in the good sense of the word. He can pass the ball to Netanyahu. He can lead a process of healing and reconciliation. Not to harm the rule of law. On the contrary. To save all of us — and also the rule of law. The pardon request is a historic opportunity. We cannot miss it.