At a moment when Israel confronts one of the most complex and perilous geopolitical landscapes in its modern history, the spectacle of a sitting prime minister dragged endlessly through a courtroom over cigars, champagne, and petty political maneuvering is not merely unhelpful—it is absurd. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a sweeping, 111-page request for a presidential pardon, effectively asking President Isaac Herzog to bring an end to a trial that has now consumed more than five years of Israel’s time, energy, and unity. Herzog should grant that pardon without hesitation.

Israel needs stability—not another round of internal warfare masquerading as judicial purity.

Netanyahu’s request, delivered by attorney Amit Hadad, is far more than a personal appeal; it is a necessary intervention for national cohesion. As Netanyahu rightly stated, an “immediate conclusion of the trial would greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.” At a time when Israel faces adversaries on multiple fronts, internal fragmentation is a gift to its enemies. Dragging the country through years more of politically weaponized litigation undermines everything Israel must prioritize: deterrence, diplomacy, security, and unity of purpose.

Let us speak plainly: the charges against Netanyahu have always been wildly disproportionate to their supposed severity. The idea that accepting cigars, champagne, or friendly media coverage constitutes a national corruption emergency worthy of destabilizing the government is—on its face—ridiculous. These are not bags of cash exchanged in back alleys; they are the sorts of informal, symbolic gifts that many world leaders receive without anyone blinking. To portray them as existential threats to the rule of law is a distortion crafted by a bureaucratic elite desperate to topple a leader it could not defeat at the ballot box.

Call it a “deep state,” call it an entrenched bureaucracy, call it what you will—Netanyahu has been subjected to political prosecution, not a fair-minded legal process. Trump was right to characterize the case as “political” and “unjustified,” and his public appeal to Herzog only underscored the obvious: this trial has become a tool, not a truth-seeking exercise.

Netanyahu himself acknowledged that he still wishes to prove his innocence “in full,” and undoubtedly he could. But the prime minister has chosen something more difficult, and more admirable: prioritizing the nation over his own vindication. “The national interest outweighs my personal interest,” he said in his statement—and he is right.

President Herzog now holds the responsibility to decide whether Israel marches toward unity or remains chained to the past. Granting the pardon will not erase debate, nor will it silence critics. But it will send a resounding message: Israel has no time for internal vendettas when its security, diplomacy, and future are on the line.