Netanyahu’s Pardon Request is Staggering Hypocrisy

It’s hard to imagine a more staggering act of hypocrisy than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon, given his own public and legal arguments over the past several years. This is the same man who stood before Israel’s Supreme Court and declared there was no problem with serving as prime minister while under criminal indictment — insisting he’d have “no issues” running the country during a trial, if allowed to run for the job. Now, in documents submitted to President Isaac Herzog Sunday, he wants the very same trial paused so he can focus on running the country. The audacity is jaw-dropping.

The request is wrapped in the claim that a pardon would “heal the national divide” — a divide he personally ignited the moment indictments were filed in 2019, when he unleashed a furious campaign against the police, prosecutors, judges and then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. This isn’t merely gaslighting but a form of extortion. Until Netanyahu launched his demonization campaign against the legal system, the Supreme Court was one of Israel’s most trusted institutions. He poisoned that trust and now plays peacemaker (or rather mafioso: “Nice democracy you got. Shame is something happened.”)

Indeed, there has been more than a hint from Netanyahu circles that he might agree to end the assault on Israel’s legal system if only he were let off the hook. Here’s a quick refresher on what happened:

• Charges in three cases of bribery, fraud and breach of trust were brought against Netanyahu in November 2019 (after he was let off the hook on at least one other major scandal where underlings were indicted). He immediately began agitating against the legal system, accusing it of an attempted coup.

• The law was not so clear on whether a criminal defendant can run for prime minister — and the norms and precedents were violently against it. Netanyahu insisted on doing so and convinced the court to allow it. With his allies openly plotting against the rule of law in Israel, he signed official affidavits promising to avoid and recuse himself from any such plans.

• Netanyahu failed in a series of rapid fire elections until finally being dislodged by the opposition, whose own government also fell within a year and a half.

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