https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/30/middleeast/netanyahu-pardon-israel-president-intl
Summary:
Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Israeli President Herzog in regards to his ongoing trial, where he faces charges of bribery, fraud, and corruption. Netanyahu urges that the pardon is necessary and in the “public interest.” As the first Israeli PM to be in a longstanding trial, he claims that this trial is polarizing to the population. Trump, his “most vocal international cheerleader,” also urged the president to pardon him (BEFORE Netanyahu himself requested one). The potential pardon has caused a national uprising as the citizens believe that a pardon would undermine the principle of rule of law—especially without an admission of guilt.
Analysis:
This article is important because although it doesn’t directly impact people, it shifts the social climate of Israel as the people currently recognize the absence of rule of law despite the immense propaganda that’s constantly pushed out. This caused doubt within Israelis’ minds about other topics outside of the trial, like if the war is truly valid. There’s no direct link between the trial and the Gaza-Israel crisis; they’re not mutually exclusive. The crisis has slowed the trial down, and Netanyahu argues that the trial is futile because it distracts from national unity. Asking for a pardon results in good news for him either way: if he gets it, then he doesn’t have to pay fines (which balances the negatives of this situation like public backlash); if he doesn’t get it, he has the means to prolong the war, push more propaganda, and increase political ammunition to remain in office.
Not only does this fiasco have long-lasting economic and political effects (like alteration in the political landscape which will impact foreign trade), but it also negatively affects those in the region. If Netanyahu gets a pardon, there WILL be chaos, especially since ~40% of the population doesn’t trust the government. If there are uprisings, that could lead to political chaos that leads to a shift in military leadership, which would change the dynamic of all regional conflicts. The Gaza crisis will dwindle if someone else takes charge, especially since people criticize Netanyahu for prolonging the war for his own political gain instead of getting the hostages back; countries like Iran would also focus on more domestic issues if Israel no longer poses an immediate threat to their sovereignty. Pardon or no pardon, no one will be truly happy and there will be a chain reaction that throws off the balance of interdependence, causing everyone to try exerting hard/coercive power that is rooted in performance legitimacy (because there’s no other way to validate the censorship of the people unless you’re providing for them).
Class Connection:
This article connects to the class because it relates to issues regarding sovereignty, legitimacy, hard power, interdependence, and global stakeholders like states. Furthermore, this theme also brings up the common debate about the legitimacy of the international governing systems when it comes to dealing with altercations like these.