Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – It appears unlikely that the Israeli Justice Ministry will approve a pardon for Israeli PM Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, related to his criminal charges for blackmail, corruption and breach of public trust. But Israeli President Isaac Herzog is under pressure to use his standing to override that likely decision. Pardoning Netanyahu for his high crimes and felonies would mean Israel acquiescing to a Bibi dictatorship, and virtually permanent Likud rule after he leaves. The prosecutor in the Case 4000 of course opposes any unconditional pardon without sanctions, favoring a ruling similar to what Netanyahu was offered in 2021 at the end of his second term — namely, leaving public office. Not surprisingly, convicted felon Donald Trump has interfered with Israel’s internal justice process by demanding a full pardon for his symbiotic, Siamese partner in crime. Both men are possessed by imperial (if not Napoleonic) complexes, and doing all they can to criminalize any efforts to bring them to heel according to Democratic norms.
Rather than step down to focus on his dramatic legal problems as honorable leaders in trouble do, Netanyahu insists on remaining in office to continue his criminal enterprise. Trump demanded a pardon for him at a Knesset meeting on October 13, and sent a formal letter to that end on November 12. Now Bibi is trying to bypass the Court of Appeals and ask President Herzog to issue a full pardon. Reuven Rivlin, who served as Israel’s president from 2014-’21 said in 2017 on the earlier pardon proposal, “The president is not a court of appeals. In any event, Bibi claims he’s the victim of a blood libel, that he was framed. Who should decide if that’s true, if not the court? I want to know whether these things are indeed true. Because if they are, those who accused him falsely must be brought to justice.”
Or by check:
Juan Cole
P. O. Box 4218,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548
USA
(Remember, make the checks out to “Juan Cole” or they can’t be cashed)
Bibi is purging the Israeli military and Justice Department in order to bring in his own people, who are friendly to his quest for a pardon. He demanded a formal inquiry into the investigation that held him culpable for the security lapses that led to October 7. He and Trump mirror one another at every step. They have been taking cues from one another, and supporting each other’s private and governmental rackets. MAGA and Likud have become a mirror image of incestuous, global corruption. Both parties aim to have their leaders avoid accountability for their crimes, and pave the way for Likud and MAGA dictatorships in their respective countries.
Israel has reached a crisis point as a so-called democracy, with Netanyahu’s efforts to undermine the Israeli justice system. All his activities are geared toward escaping criminal prosecution and remaining in office. In 2013, he declared that, “Israel is an island of democracy in a sea of instability and despotism.” That’s been a popular Zionist myth for decades. But Israel was never democratic for the native Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel proper. He has been Israel’s PM for most of the past 30 years, having been elected in 1996 and serving for three years; then re-elected in 2009-2021, while his current term began in 2022. Netanyahu has become the “wolf tree” of Israeli politics, eclipsing the sun and stealing oxygen from other, more capable leaders. Now, with the help of convicted felon Donald Trump, he has become so empowered to “dictate” to the Israeli justice system.
Likud Defense Minister Israel Katz has manipulated conflict with the IDF Eyal Zamir, in an effort to weaken his authority on military appointments on Netanyahu’s behalf. Whereas Trump is focusing on dictating content to American universities and cultural institutions, Netanyahu is more focused on controlling military appointments, and intimidating the justice department into dropping charges against him. His issue with the military is their investigations into the security failures of October 7, which rest solely with his own inaction — namely ignoring warnings of the military buildup in Gaza prior to the disaster. Netanyahu wants to remove investigation and appointment authority from the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Eyal Zamir, and choose people who will hold him blameless. As with Trump, he is also trying to criminalize the investigators.
In 2021, then Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak proposed a plea bargain on Netanyahu’s behalf to end his trial, and banish him from Israeli politics for seven years. The aim was to “to repair the rift in the nation,” and move forward. A secondary goal was to protect the Israeli legal system from further attacks on its authority by Netanyahu and his ministers. But now the concern is that once he is out as prime minister, his Likud ministers will continue their attacks on the legal system, just as MAGA won’t go away when Trump finally does. Jewish Power and Religious Zionism Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, allies of the ruling Likud Party, are Bibi’s missionaries, charged with undermining the courts, police and any guardrails on their ability to game the system to their favor. The Courts are an impediment to the brutal agenda: “They don’t want any judges to interfere with their disciples beating, wounding and abusing Palestinians in the West Bank.” When Bibi is finally gone, they will still prosecute his agenda.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference announcing the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, Monday, September 29, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Date 29 September 2025. Public Domain. Via Wikimedia Commons .
Another example of Netanyahu’s impulse toward dictatorship is his efforts to prevent any Arab Knesset member from ever holding portfolio in a government again. Mansour Abbas is the most prominent Arab Knesset member, leading charge to preserve what remains of Israeli democracy. That has motivated Likud ministers to depict him as a public enemy, rather than the constructive voice in the Knesset that he is. Involvement of Arab parties in the opposition is vital to its interest.
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In in efforts to further consolidate his power, Netanyahu is now dictating to the justice system and military leadership in ways that usurp their lawful authority. Trump is doing the same in the US, abetted by a corrupt Supreme Court. They have enabled one another in their parallel quests to eliminate any constitutional checks on their power, expand their executive authority, and further consolidate their power. The independence of Israel’s military and justice systems are at odds with the Likud agenda to eliminate checks and boundaries on their imperial designs.
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