Netanyahu’s trial and Israel’s tribulations
Acquitted or convicted, it is Benjamin Netanyahu’s assault on the Israeli justice system, his pollution of the public debate with nationalism, racism and general intolerance of all criticism, and his corruption of the political system that will remain his legacy. His trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust is a tragic illustration of the lows to which Israel’s government has sunk under his stewardship.
Contrition, remorse, regret or shame are not sentiments usually associated with the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history, nor in this context with his close family, especially his wife and eldest son. They have developed a pathological siege mentality, which initially looked like a deliberate and sinister ploy to delegitimize all criticism, but has now come to dominate their very existence; it will probably bring Netanyahu’s political career to an end, and he may spend some of his retirement behind bars. Even those of us who disagree with Netanyahu’s politics recognize that he has had some successes, but no end of achievements could justify his efforts to destroy the rule of law and his assault on Israel’s democratic institutions and values. His shameful pre-trial speech outside the courtroom last week, a blatant attempt to intimidate the judges and prevent any future investigations into his conduct, was disgraceful behavior that should have led to his disqualification from public office even before the first charges against him were read in court. In a surreal, though terrifying, scene resembling a mobster movie, Netanyahu, surrounded by a group of mask-wearing, pandering ministers and Knesset members from his
Likud party, attacked everyone who in his distorted mind had contributed to his moment of ignominy. His followers wore the masks as protection from COVID-19, but they must have found them useful against the stench coming from that unparalleled assault on the justice system, police and media by a man who is somehow allowed to lead a democratic country while on trial for corruption.
In a complete deviation from the truth, Netanyahu had the chutzpah to declare: “Citizens of Israel, what is on trial today is an effort to frustrate the will of the people — the attempt to bring down myself and the rightwing camp.” No, Mr. Netanyahu, you don’t face three judges in a court of justice because the police, the attorney general, the prosecution or the judges conspired to “frustrate the will of the people.” In fact a majority of candidates in the last election campaigned and won under the banner of ending your reign. More importantly, after four years of meticulous investigation, all the relevant authorities agree that there is enough evidence to indict you, despite your relentless evasion tactics and abuse of official powers in attempting to prevent this trial from taking place.
The prime minister is not being prosecuted for his political opinions, or over how well he is doing his job, but is facing three grave corruption charges. It was he and his wife Sarah who accepted expensive cigars, champagne and other luxury goods from billionaire businessmen with economic interests that came under the jurisdiction of the ministries he was in charge of. It was he who discussed with media moguls legislation and regulations that could have benefited them to the tune of many hundreds of millions of shekels annually, in exchange for favorable coverage in their outlets. In another of his unsubstantiated remarks in the corridors of the courthouse, Netanyahu asserted that he of all people was the first and only person since modern democracies came into being to have “been charged with receiving positive coverage.” There is no problem with positive coverage; it is the abuse of power to obtain those flattering headlines that has led to his current predicament.
And no, those who think he should stand down during his trial do not argue this because they are leftists who wish Israel ill, or don’t love their country as much as
Netanyahu does. It is because for him to hold this position while defending himself in court is both morally wrong and practically dangerous. It confuses the prime minister’s judgment, encourages him to conflate what is good for him with what is good for the country, and gives him tools available to no other citizen that might influence the outcome of his trial.
One wonders what crossed Netanyahu’s mind when he saw Liat Ben Ari, the chief prosecutor, escorted all the way to the courtroom by bodyguards — as are all the judges and the attorney general in this case as a direct result of his incitement against them. A quarter of a century after he led the vile incitement against the subsequently assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the same old Netanyahu is using the same old methods; this time not to enhance his chances of becoming prime minister, but to intimidate the judges and prosecutors into abandoning their duty.
Had Netanyahu really wanted to know why he finds himself facing charges of corruption of such magnitude, he should have looked in the mirror; it would have revealed to him that it is his own arrogance, greed, hedonism, unchecked hunger for power, stinginess, and obsession with the media that have brought him to this point. In other words, he has only himself to blame.