To Dr. Miriam Adelson About Netanyahu’s ‘Pardon’

Dear Dr. Adelson,

I am writing to ask that you use your unique relationship with US President Donald Trump and persuade him to step back from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request for a “pardon.”

Many people know Netanyahu, his motives and his conduct, and therefore understand the danger to Israel should his demand to cancel the legal proceedings against him be fulfilled. Others close to the President, including some of Israel’s strong supporters, may also influence his thinking. But only you meet both criteria: proximity to Trump and deep understanding of Netanyahu.

When President Trump addressed the Knesset last October and raised the pardon just as the hostages were being released from Gaza, Israelis knew that without your influence, it is doubtful that their return would have occurred at that time. Many here were grateful to hear that you corrected the misleading information he had received from Jerusalem, which falsely suggested that most hostages were no longer alive. You revealed the manipulation which was designed to preserve the governing coalition, even at the cost of the lives of those suffering in the tunnels.

I do not reveal anything new to you, nor to the readers, regarding the long acquaintance, yours and that of your late husband Sheldon, with Netanyahu and his wife. It is well known that ideology motivated your investment of millions in establishing Israel Hayom, a free newspaper created to advance shared principles. It is also no secret that you were shocked to discover his secret contacts with Yedioth Ahronoth, to coordinate efforts to weaken your newspaper in exchange for more favorable coverage in the rival publication. Like many in Israel and around the world, you learned that his loyalty is reserved first and foremost for himself and for his own interests.

Magnanimously, you have refrained from publicly criticizing him and did not react to reports about his intervention in your paper’s editorial decisions. These reportedly extended beyond matters of state and ideology to issues of personal image. If this is accurate, you joined others in discovering that he is ungrateful, guided by a single principle: me, my wife, and I. It has been said that eventually, you could tolerate this no longer, and chose to cut ties.

As a country, however, we do not have the luxury of cutting ties with a self-serving Prime Minister except through elections, which we hope will be free and fair. Polls suggest that the public plans to send him and his coalition partners home. But if the maneuver he is now attempting to carry out with Trump’s assistance succeeds in halting the legal process, he will enter those elections as a victor, spared any personal cost, with the truth remaining hidden.

I will not discuss how his dependence on the President’s intervention will shape his decisions on critical national matters. I will not elaborate on the erosion of the principle of equal justice under the law. Nor will I ask whether you believe Netanyahu advances the right-wing agenda you support better than other candidates to lead the country.

I will ask only this: Given your long and intimate knowledge of Netanyahu, do you believe he should continue to lead the State of Israel? Is he the person who can guide it out of its many crises and help heal its wounds? If, like most Israelis, you believe that the country urgently needs new leadership, leadership that places the state’s well-being above all else, then I implore you: share your insights with President Trump. Help us free ourselves from Netanyahu’s grip.

For decades, you and your late husband contributed generously to Israel and to Jewish causes worldwide, notable among them Birthright. But this, this would be your most long-lasting contribution.