Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision yesterday to send a letter to President Herzog requesting a pardon has shaken Israeli politics — and for good reason.
For years, Israel has been dragged through an exhausting, divisive legal saga built on cases that many Israelis, including leading legal experts, have long viewed as politically driven.
Despite this pressure, Netanyahu remains — by far — the most popular and trusted political figure in Israel, consistently leading rivals by 30–40% when citizens are asked who they want as prime minister.
His supporters are divided. Some believe he should continue fighting to expose what they see as fabricated accusations and politically motivated prosecution. Others understand the harsh reality: Israel is facing historic, existential challenges, and the country cannot afford to sink more years into trials engineered to paralyze its elected leader. As Netanyahu wrote in his letter, Israel has urgent priorities that will shape its future and the region for decades to come.