People today expect their politicians and leaders to be liars. An honest lawmaker is now the exception. And a notable one at that.

And everyone seems to be fine with this. Or at the very least, they’ve accepted it as a situation that can’t be changed.

This is perhaps most pronounced in Israel. Folks here live under no illusion of their leaders being trustworthy. And yet they support those leaders with a messianic fervor. More than that, the citizens of the corruption-riddled Jewish state are among the happiest in the world.

This is just one of the many dichotomies that make Israel so unique.

A political giant

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is by no means alone in this regard, but he does stand as a giant among dwarfs on the political stage, so his dishonesty, real or perceived (or even invented), naturally catches most of the light.

Bibi, to use his popular nickname, has been officially indicted on several charges of corruption and abuse of...