Telling the truth shouldn't merely be an option, it should be the norm – not just in the court of law but in all walks of life. Yes, even in the media and especially with respect to the coverage of anything concerning the prime minister's affairs.
The problem is that more often than not, there is a sizable gap between theory and reality.
American novelist Joseph Heller was right when he coined the phrase, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hardly the first public official to say that he is being slandered in vain and he won't be the last. But we have to remember that just because numerous public officials make such statements – so often it seems that they have become part of our daily routine – does not mean that they are fundamentally unfounded.
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Anyone who objectively – if that's still a thing – looks at the media's abuse of the prime minister over the past few years cannot help but notice it is nothing short of extraordinary in scope, style, and intensity.
Even those – and there are quite a few of them – who argue that Netanyahu has brought this on himself with his actions and statements, will have to eventually admit that something here is different.
An in-depth, professional, sober, and unbiased review of what has transpired over the past few months, and especially the last few days, further underscores this: The incessant leaks from the police investigations raise difficult questions about the existence of the Israeli rule of law and the tactics employed by law enforcement officials.
Regardless of the current legal predicaments plaguing Netanyahu, one has to wonder if the time has come to do some significant soul-searching. How is it that, before any indictment was officially filed and long before the process of discovery took place, we all witnessed a media blitz consisting of confidential material that was published in the media? The public had a behind-the-scenes seat to the investigations against Netanyahu, learning everything about them almost in real time.
It seems that everyone has forgotten that from a purely legal standpoint, leaking and publishing investigative material is a felony that constitutes obstruction of justice. Indeed, for many years, the rules against such media leaks have not been enforced, but this only further undermines the rule of law.
Worse, media leaks lead to many people, especially public figures and predominantly the prime minister, being tried by the media and in the court of public opinion – not the court of law, which is where justice should be done.
The issue of selective enforcement – another negative element that has no place in a country predicated on the rule of law – is also far too common: Various suspects and defendants, particularly public figures and tycoons, are clearly treated differently and more severely by the various law enforcement agencies (police, prosecutors and the courts) than their peers, let alone "ordinary people."
This problem affects the entire process, from the decision to open an investigation and the allegations included in indictments, as well as the legal proceeding themselves – right up to the severity of the verdict.
Apart from selective enforcement being in direct infringement of the principle of equality before the law, it is extremely difficult for the public to trust law enforcement if that is how its officers conduct themselves.
Unfortunately, the Orwellian vision of "all are equal, but some are more equal than others," is unfolding before our very eyes.
This is a democratic horror show, and failure to stop it now could be devastating to Israel's existence as a justice- and truth-seeking society.
