New Delhi, May 14 -- Benjamin Netanyahu walked once again into a Tel Aviv courtroom this week under the shadow of war, political revolt, and one of the most consequential corruption trials in Israeli history. Hours later, the proceedings ended early yet again after judges approved another request from the Israeli prime minister to shorten his testimony because of undisclosed "security" matters, extending a pattern that critics say has transformed the trial into a symbol of Israel's deepening institutional crisis.

For years, Netanyahu's legal troubles existed alongside his political dominance, an extraordinary parallel reality in which Israel's longest-serving prime minister continued governing while simultaneously defending himself again...