Bibi’s strategy to keep justice at arm’s length

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, has just asked the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, to “fully pardon” him of all three charges — bribery, fraud and breach of trust — that he has been on trial for since 2020. And the question is: Why did he only ask for it now?

- Gwynne Dyer

The alleged crimes were the kind of petty malpractice that often trips up politicians: accepting gifts (mostly cigars and champagne) from powerful businessmen and bribing media for positive coverage. However, a former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, served 18 months in jail after conviction on similar charges, so Mr Netanyahu does have a potential problem.

He has dealt with the charges for the past five years by delaying tactics in court and latterly by requesting endless postponements on the grounds that he was too busy fighting a war in the Gaza Strip. But there is currently a ceasefire in Gaza, which some people hope can be turned into a peace deal and reconstruction of the devastated homes of its 2.3 million people.

The ceasefire intensifies Bibi’s legal problem, however, since he can no longer plausibly demand postponements in the trial proceedings because there is a war on. Moreover, there must be an election for the next Knesset (parliament) by next October, and according to current opinion polls, Mr Netanyahu’s coalition is unlikely to win.