The genius and moral rot of Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has asked President Herzog for a pardon, while still insisting he has done nothing wrong.

A pardon for what? In his telling, there is nothing to pardon. There was no crime, no guilt, no wrongdoing. Yet here he is, demanding a “get-out-of-trial-free card,” as though guilt were irrelevant, as though the very notion of accountability were optional, on a whim.

That’s not innocence. That’s entitlement.

A Political Smoke-Screen

This is not about clemency. It is about optics. Survival. Preservation of power.

Netanyahu just happened to file the pardon request, just as the Knesset is about to debate Boaz Bismuth’s draft-conscription, or should we say exemption, law. A controversial, no, a criminally political bill, the sole purpose of which is to maintain the coalition government.

As the IDF declares an acute shortage of manpower, while reservists and their families are struggling under the weight of so much reserve duty, this bill will exempt the ultra-orthodox from military duty and deny the IDF around 20% of eligible recruits.

The law could see rebellion from within his own party and the wider coalition. It also has objections from his base. It could alienate important segments and stir anger. The timing of this pardon request is hardly coincidence. He wants us talking about him, about his pardon, and not about the looming upheaval that could fracture his coalition and derail his hold on power.

He Has Already Broken His Own “Pardon Rules”

From the outset, Netanyahu swore,  “There is nothing, because there was nothing.”

He condemned the justice system as a witch-hunt, painted the judiciary as political. He relished the idea of his day in court, the chance to prove innocence and expose corruption. He was asked multiple times in TV interviews if he intended to request a pardon, or ask for the trial to be stopped. Each and every time he offered a categorical no.

But, it is no secret that Netanyahu has a problem with the truth. Now, he asks for a pardon. No admission of guilt. No remorse. No acceptance of responsibility. He doesn’t want justice. He wants the conclusion without the process, the clean slate without the reckoning. It’s absurd. It betrays every principle of accountability, the law, and basic decency.

It is not humility. It is audacity. Perhaps, more dangerously, it is genius.

You almost have to admire the architecture of it. The political sleight-of-hand. The theatrical martyrdom. He frames a pardon not as an escape, but as a noble sacrifice. As though he is willing to relinquish the chance to clear his name, expose corruption, restore faith in the courts.

He’s doing this for us, for unity. The man who has spent the past decade sowing division, dodging responsibility, running the country like a mafia don, and constantly putting his own personal interests above those of the country, is now claiming is he’s falling on his sword for the sake of the country, for the people, and national unity. And he says it with a straight face.

And right on cue, his sycophants flood the airwaves with the same script. The request for a pardon is actually a noble act of heroism and self-sacrifice. The cases against him are collapsing (they’re not), yet Netanyahu is surrendering his chance to prove his innocence. And is doing it all for you and the good of the country

It is wickedly brilliant. And morally bankrupt.

A Win-Win Scenario

It’s just too clever. By asking for a pardon, Netanyahu has created a win-win scenario, one only a political tactician with no internal brake could create.

Should Herzog acquiesce and Netanyahu gets his pardon, he walks away scot-free. Immunity without verdict. Victory without evidence tested. And if Herzog denies his request, that denial becomes “proof” of persecution. Another string to the violin of victimhood. The President becomes part of the “deep state” and the grand conspiracy against him.

He wins either way. If he walks, he’s clean. If he’s denied, he weaponises. This isn’t collapse. It’s calculation.

Impunity Disguised as Patriotism

It’s about a pardon. It’s about impunity. If you can request clemency before conviction, before the evidence is heard, before the truth is tested, the justice system becomes optional, a suggestion, a courtesy extended to lesser men.

The message is simple. If I win elections, I am popular. The people have chosen. The law is irrelevant. The rules do not apply to me. Equality before the law becomes fiction.

In the wake of 7 October, we’ve seen what that looks like in real time. No culpability. No accountability. No resignation. No inquiry. The greatest disaster in the history of the country. Yet, a Prime Minister who insists he owes no explanation, no answers to anyone.

In his trial, it’s time for cross examination, and suddenly the desire to prove his innocence has evaporated. Now he wants a free pass.

Contrary to what he and his supporters say, this is not closure, it’s avoidance. And it sets a dangerous precedent.

A Pardon Must Come with a Price

Were Herzog to approve this as is, he would be declaring openly that power outranks justice, personality outranks principle, and accountability is negotiable.

Democracy delivers the victor with authority, responsibility and accountability, not absolution. It is a contract with the people to work in their interests and to do so honestly and with integrity.

Netanyahu seeks this pardon, not as a citizen begging forgiveness but rather as a King demanding exemption, as his right. If handed to him freely, it renders the law meaningless and bodes ill for our democracy.

Netanyahu is not the King of Israel, he is its Prime Minister, a servant of the people, answerable to them, and to the laws of the country. He is not and cannot be above the law.

A pardon must come at a price. Not symbolic. Not cosmetic. Tangible

Any pardon must insist that Netanyahu retire from public life altogether. A pardon without departure would be highly damaging to the country. Not unity, rather self-preservation dressed up as patriotism and sacrifice.

If Netanyahu refuses, so be it. That is his right as a citizen. Let the trial continue.

Anything less is surrender.

Gary Cohen is a filmmaker and writer. His substack can be found here.