The number of presidents and prime ministers walking from the government’s halls of power to the courtroom is growing year by year, and the trial against Benjamin Netanyahu seamlessly fits into this global pattern. The phenomenon of former heads of state and government ending up in the dock has in recent years almost become a global norm. Just as in biblical times, states today are grappling with the same timeless questions: Does the law truly serve justice, or is it being used as a weapon in political battles? Can a society hold its powerful accountable without breaking apart in the process? And what remains of a democracy when trust in its institutions erodes?

The news that former Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption extends the long list of leaders who have gone from symbols of state power to convicted criminals. In Brazil, proceedings against Jair Bolsonaro carry the potential for 27 years in prison, and before him, the current Brazilian President Lula da Silva had already sat in prison...

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