Benjamin Netanyahu

My Word: Trials and errors, and granting pardons - opinion

Isaac Herzog has to contend with a tremendous dilemma regarding the pardon request. Like the trial itself, no result is going to be fully accepted and certainly not unifying.

WITH PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu at his side at Ben-Gurion Airport, US President Donald Trump concludes his trip to Israel in October.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich seen after a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem on December 4, 2025.

Religious Zionist Party crosses threshold with four seats as coalition bloc climbs to 53 - poll

Ronen Gofman at a ceremony while commander of the IDF's 210th Division, September 2022.

'Danger to Israel’s national security': Elmakayes warns against Gofman's Mossad appointment

Roman Gofman, military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walking at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, November 11, 2024

Who is Roman Gofman, Netanyahu's military secretary and Israel's next Mossad chief? - explainer


Netanyahu taps military secretary Roman Gofman as next Mossad chief in surprise move

PM's appointment comes as a surprise as he overlooks leading candidate 'A' • Mossad sources highly circumspect regarding what to expect during Gofman's term

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with Maj.-Gen.Roman Gofman.

Netanyahu says he’ll visit New York City despite mayor-elect Mamdani's threat to arrest him

When asked whether Netanyahu was willing to test whether Mamdani would follow through on the arrest threat, Netanyahu suggested Sorkin “wait and see.”

Andrew Ross Sorkin interviews Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu remotely onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025 in New York City.

Pardoning Netanyahu would weaken Israel, empower Trump's interference - opinion

AS Trump's poodle, a pardoned Netanyahu would be less free to speak up when he feels America’s actions go against Israel’s interests.

PRESIDENT ISAAC Herzog and US President Donald Trump in the Knesset in October: Granting Netanyahu a pardon and dropping all criminal charges against him would dangerously embolden Trump and weaken Herzog, the writer argues.

Phase two of Gaza peace plan is 'going to happen pretty soon,' Trump says

During a press conference in the Oval Office, President Trump addressed the Gaza peace plan and the attack on IDF soldiers earlier on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement of new fuel economy standards, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, December 3, 2025.

Knesset adopts Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, coalition boycotts vote

Lapid’s push for a Knesset vote on Trump’s Gaza plan pressures Netanyahu as key coalition figures signal opposition.

Opposition leader and Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid speaks before a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, February 17, 2025

Netanyahu trial: Hearing opens in Tel Aviv after Tuesday session canceled

Benjamin Netanyahu's trial returns to Case 4000, in which the PM is accused of advancing regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of shekels to Shaul Elovitch in exchange for favorable coverage

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on November 10, 2025.

A-G Baharav-Miara tells Netanyahu that Ben-Gvir could be ousted over police interference

The attorney-general argued that Ben-Gvir's continued interference in internal affairs constitutes violations of the Israel Police's independence.

 LEFT: Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara RIGHT: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir

Netanyahu's pardon request: An act of sheer chutzpah, utter disrespect for democracy - opinion

President Herzog is indeed the last line of defense of an Israeli democracy shaken for the past three years by Netanyahu, who has consistently placed his personal interests above those of his country

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump share a warm moment in the Knesset in October 2025.

Stuck in the middle: How President Herzog handles Netanyahu will define his legacy - opinion

Isaac Herzog assumed the office amid the COVID pandemic, followed by judicial reform unrest, and a multi-front war. Now he has the challenge of whether to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Isaac Herzog hosts the President's Decoration Award Ceremony at the president house in Jerusalem. October 22, 2025.

'Hezbollah disarms or Israel acts': Netanyahu, Ortagus meet as Israel-Lebanon tensions flare

The talks come one year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which Israeli officials say is eroding.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen walking in the hallways of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, November 3, 2025

Netanyahu cancels statement on haredi draft bill as opposition slams legislation

Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) responded that Netanyahu canceled his statement “because he knows we know the details of the draft-evasion law, and he has no way to defend it.”

Ultra-Orthodox Jews carry a banner in Hebrew that reads, “to prison and not the army,” during a “million man” protest against military conscription, in Jerusalem October 30, 2025.