There are reasons to oppose the push to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that originated with President Donald Trump. But his farcical trial should still end.
There are some sound reasons for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to choose not to grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But none of them have anything to do with justice, defending the Jewish state’s judicial system or even its democracy.
The idea didn’t originate with Netanyahu, who has consistently said the only proper way to end the long-running farce of his prosecution and trial should be with a full acquittal. Still, the prime minister wound up sending a request for a pardon largely as a result of foreign pressure. The controversy began, after all, when President Donald Trump suggested that Herzog grant the pardon when speaking to the Knesset on Oct. 13, after coming to Israel to celebrate the release of the 20 remaining living hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, and the ceasefire in the subsequent war in Gaza.
Trump should stay out of it
