In wartime Israel needs focus, not courtroom theater – a moment for mercy, resilience, and national renewal.

About a year ago, I wrote a column with a simple plea: Let Bibi lead.

At the time, Israel was already navigating one of the most dangerous periods in its modern history. Rockets were flying. Enemies were probing its borders. Strategic decisions were being made almost daily. And yet, in the midst of all this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the country’s longest-serving leader – was also shuttling back and forth to a courtroom.

The image struck me then as surreal. It strikes me the same way today.

Back then I wrote these words:

“Let’s be honest – Israel is not just weathering a storm; it is standing in the eye of one… And at the helm is a leader not just seasoned by time, but one forged in fire.”

A year later, the storm has not passed.

If anything, it has intensified.

Israel has fought a brutal war against Hamas, confronted Iran and its proxies across multiple fronts, and navigated one of the most volatile geopolitical environments since the state’s founding. Through it all, Netanyahu has remained at the center of the storm – managing alliances, directing military strategy, and positioning Israel diplomatically in a rapidly changing Middle East.

And yet, at the same time, the legal circus continues.

The trial that began years ago grinds on – week after week, hearing after hearing – with no clear end in sight. Nearly a decade has passed since the investigations began, and six years since the trial itself started. Even under the most optimistic projections, it could drag on for several more years.

‘Law and wisdom must work together’

In any democracy, the rule of law matters deeply. Israel’s legal system is one of the pillars of its strength. But there are moments in a nation’s life when law and wisdom must work together.

This is one of those moments. It is why I raised the idea of a presidential pardon before – and why I raise it again today. And now something new has happened.

The call for clemency is no longer coming only from voices inside Israel. It has also been amplified by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu.

Trump – himself no stranger to courtroom battles – has called the ongoing prosecution a distraction at a moment when Israel faces historic security challenges. In interviews and statements, he has argued........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)