(May 7, 2026)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there was no „immunity“ for Israel‘s enemies, a day after the Israeli military targeted a Hezbollah commander in its first strike on Beirut‘s southern suburbs since a ceasefire declared last month.
President Isaac Herzog secretly met with journalist Jacob Bardugo, a confidante of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in late March to discuss the premier’s request for a pardon, Channel 12 news reports.
The nighttime meeting at an apartment in Shoham, which was not revealed to the public, took place shortly before Herzog urged dialogue between the sides on a plea bargain. It also came about after bitter criticism of Herzog by Bardugo on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 for not pardoning the prime minister, who has refused to admit wrongdoing despite High Court precedent indicating he must do so for a pardon.
The proceedings were significantly interrupted, however, after he excused himself from the Tel Aviv courtroom just 30 minutes after the hearing began for what he said was an urgent security-related call at the Kirya military headquarters.
He was granted permission to halt proceedings for the security consultation despite the court rejecting a request from the premier’s lawyer Amit Hadad to shorten Wednesday’s testimony by three hours due to a “security-related schedule.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had requested overnight that the Jerusalem District Court limit his appearance on Wednesday to three hours, but the court denied the request.
The report added that Netanyahu cited “security-related schedule” to justify shortening the duration of the hearing.
Mr. Herzog, the officials said, believes that there are many options beyond the binary pardon-or-no-pardon choice, and that the main role of Israel’s president is to foster unity. So he does not plan to say yes or no to Mr. Netanyahu’s request for a pardon at this stage, the officials said, preferring to try to resolve the issue through negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s request to delay testifying in his criminal trial was accepted by judges on Sunday due to „security and political“ reasons related to „the dramatic events that have occurred in the State of Israel and throughout the Middle East in recent times,“ according to a letter sent to judges.
The Communist Party of Israel and the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) condemned on Wednesday evening, April 8, “the heinous and horrific massacre committed by the far-right Israeli government in Lebanon, only hours after the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in the war. This is a clear sign of the crisis facing war criminals, whose aggressive policies repeatedly fail to establish what they term the New World Order. Furthermore, Netanyahu and his government understand that ending the war signifies the collapse of their legitimacy and the end of their time in power.”
“We view the ceasefire in the war with Iran as a crucial development that must be maintained, defended, and turned into a standing agreement that guarantees peace and rights for the peoples of the region, while standing firm against any Israeli attempt to thwart it. We emphasize that this war has once again exposed the failure of the policies of aggression and the imperialist bullying of the US and Israel. It has proven that the logic of force, destruction, and occupation does not create security or stability, but rather drags the entire region into further ruin and bloodshed. We reaffirm that the only path to security, stability, and a better future for all peoples of the land and the region is not the path of war and aggression, but a political path based on ending the occupation—as it is the heart of the regional conflict—and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in all territories occupied by Israel in June 1967,” they said in the common communique.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s long-running corruption trial will resume on Sunday, the courts‘ spokesperson said on Thursday, hours after Israel lifted a state of emergency imposed over its war with Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial is set to resume on Sunday after weeks of emergency restrictions on Israel’s court system during the war with Iran, according to a court notice cited by the Jerusalem Post.
The next hearing is scheduled for 9.30 am (0630GMT) at the Jerusalem District Court, with proceedings expected to return to their regular format, including sessions in Jerusalem on Sundays and at the Tel Aviv District Court from Monday through Wednesday.
(March 24, 2026)
Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Knesset and interim president of Israel, on why Netanyahu can never settle, only kill.
JERUSALEM—The Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel was the greatest security failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s career. Less than three years later, the Israeli prime minister is pursuing what may become his defining strategic achievement: toppling the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Herzog should give Netanyahu a pardon today,” Trump was quoted as saying, while also sharply criticizing Herzog and claiming the Israeli president had promised him multiple times that a pardon would be issued.
Trump called Herzog „a disgrace,“ and said he had “promised me five times” that he would pardon Netanyahu, according to the N12 report,
An Israeli victory in the war against Iran would likely give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a bump in the polls but may not guarantee him a win in the upcoming national elections, in the assessment of several veteran political analysts. But were the regime to fall, it would significantly boost his prospects.
Since the outbreak of the war over the weekend, the opposition has set aside its criticisms and rallied behind the government, which a majority of Israeli Jews have told pollsters they believe can handle the conflict effectively.
(February 5, 2026)
Among other things, he told us that the Democrats already have 60,000 members registered in the party, and are shooting for 100,000 now, which will make us the second-largest political party in Israel in terms of numbers. In addition, he stressed the need to reach out to the Arab citizens of Israel, who make up 22 percent of our population:
There is no future for Israel without Jewish-Arab cooperation in Israeli politics.
This is a critical issue in the political discourse right now, since it is obvious that a new government will not be able to be formed if the so-called “centrist” political parties don’t agree to welcome Arab political parties into the next coalition. So far, only The Democrats have agreed to do so!
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Herzog said the pardon request must be examined by professional legal authorities within the Justice Ministry, including assessments of disputed legal questions. He stressed that the prolonged legal process has weighed heavily on Israel and that ways forward must be considered, while underscoring that any decision would be made strictly in accordance with Israeli law.
Tirosh further cited testimony by former Communications Ministry director-general Shlomo Filber, a state witness, who testified that he overheard a conversation in which Netanyahu asked his wife whether she was still in contact with Iris Elovich and allegedly instructed her to cut off contact and delete messages.
Judge Moshe Bar-Am intervened, questioning the necessity of further narrowing in on granular details of the text exchanges and the assumptions regarding what the prime minister knew. The case is being heard by a three-judge panel headed by Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, alongside Bar-Am and Judge Oded Shaham.
(January 9, 2026)
In this case, media consultant Tzachi Lieber is accused of acting as an intermediary for bribes between Michael Ganor, who was the representative of the German industrial engineering company ThyssenKrupp in Israel, and David Sharan, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
(…)
The dilemma facing the system is now complex. On the one hand, allowing a new judge to render a verdict based solely on transcripts and submitted evidence is problematic, as a criminal verdict should be based on the judge‘s direct impression of the witnesses and the accused, and on their credibility.
On the other hand, having the witnesses, or some of them, re-tested by another judge is also problematic and would mean the case would drag on for years. As mentioned, this would also delay Lieber‘s required testimony in the main case against Sharan and Ganor.
(Januar 6, 2026)
Judge Benny Sagi, president of Israel‘s Beersheba District Court, was killed Sunday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle on Route 6.
Police say a vehicle driving off-road entered the highway and collided with Sagi‘s bike near Kfar Menachem kibbutz.
Paramedics found him with no pulse, multiple injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sagi was handling aspects of Case 3000, the „Submarines Affair“ involving corruption in Israeli naval deals.
Netanyahu has been questioned in this case but not charged.
Sagi was NOT presiding over Netanyahu‘s main corruption trial (Cases 1000, 2000, 4000).
That case is being heard by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem District Court.
Netanyahu‘s testimony in his primary trial was shortened Monday to allow attendance at Sagi‘s funeral.
Israeli authorities and major news organizations have categorized this as a traffic accident.
An investigation has been launched.
Some regional outlets and social media have called the death „suspicious“ given Sagi‘s role in sensitive cases, but no evidence of foul play has been reported.
(October 18, 2020)
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit on Sunday evening rejected the appeal made by the Movement for Quality of Government, which demanded that the investigation into the infamous case 3000 submarine sale scandal be expanded and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be questioned with a warning.
He further noted that there is no reason to intervene in Netanyahu‘s sale of personal stocks before the submarine acquisition, in accordance with his decision not to open a criminal investigation against the prime minister in case 3000.
Since the trial began, Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations. Under Israeli law, however, a presidential pardon can only be granted following an admission of guilt.
The prime minister is facing charges in three separate cases, commonly known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000. The indictments were filed in late November 2019 by then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
In their statement, the bill’s sponsors described the offense as a vague legal tool that has long enabled prosecutors to target elected officials for behavior that is ethically questionable but not clearly criminal. They called for a “rapid legislative process,” framing the move as an overdue correction to what they labeled an overreach by law enforcement.
Critics say the bill appears tailor-made to benefit Netanyahu, who is accused of exploiting his public position for personal gain
Coalition lawmakers are advancing a bill to repeal the crime of fraud and breach of trust – one of the charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for.
(today)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial was cut short on Monday after judges agreed to end the hearing early, following a sealed envelope delivered to the prime minister roughly an hour after proceedings began.
Netanyahu, who is in the midst of cross-examination by the prosecution, received an envelope and told the court the contents were “important.”
Speaking during his meeting in Florida with Netanyahu, Trump said he believed a pardon was on the way: “How can you not?” he said. “He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?”
(…)
“There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” Herzog’s office said in a statement issued just a few minutes after Trump’s comments.
A real inquiry would likely deliver harsh conclusions about Netanyahu’s misguided strategy of coddling Hamas; his failure to heed intelligence before Oct. 7; the staggering human cost of the war that followed; the failure to dismantle Hamas despite two years of brutal fighting; Israel’s growing international isolation; and Netanyahu’s repeated rejection of diplomatic exit ramps.
It is obvious that a commission dealing with such explosive matters must not be controlled by the very people it will judge. Yet that is exactly the system Netanyahu has engineered, while arguing that a state inquiry would be stacked against him. Most Israelis see the attempted whitewash clearly, and some three quarters of the public have consistently said they want a state commission.
According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh: “It is expected of every person to understand that this move by Netanyahu is intended for one purpose: that you talk about it… and not talk about the execution in Jenin by Ben Gvir’s platoons, not about the targeted elimination of the two children on Sunday in Gaza, not about the regime coup, not about the budget that will harm each and every one of you, not about the political violence, not about the ethnic cleansing, not about the unbearable crime and murder in Arab society, and not about the economic and social situation that’s at an unprecedented low…that you talk about the ‘pardon’ that is imagined, but that you do not talk about the abandonment, the destruction, or about the simple fact that Netanyahu is a war criminal, and should stand trial in The Hague”.
Protesters have rallied outside the home of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, demanding he reject Prime Minister Netanyahu‘s request for a pardon on corruption charges.
The move has divided his political opponents as well as the Israeli people.