Horrible Chutzpah
By Jim Fletcher
Political campaigns are always nasty. Messy. Complicated. Bloated with lies.
I’ve followed Israeli politics closely for 30 years. Their politics are always raucous. They make the British Parliament look like a picnic by a lazy river. I remember in 1996, the first time Benjamin Netanyahu ran for prime minister in Israel. His opponent? Legendary figure Shimon Peres, who had held every major position in government and, ironically, he served as defense minister during the Entebbe hostage crisis of 1976. In fact, it was Peres who took the audacious plan to the cabinet for approval. He also gave the moving eulogy for Netanyahu’s older brother, Jonathan, who was the only IDF commando killed in the successful rescue.
The story goes that as the two were about to go onstage for a televised debate in the last days of the ’96 donnybrook, Peres leaned close to whisper to Netanyahu that he had a stain on his tie. This jolted the younger man and he fumbled with his tie as Peres quietly chuckled.
There was no stain.
Now it is Netanyahu who is the old lion. A more experienced and able politician one would be hard to find. His perfect English, experience and intellect are unmatched. He is now Israel’s longest-serving premier.
The thing is, Israelis know who keeps them safe. Some would say that’s ironic since October 7 happened on Netanyahu’s watch. But as more information comes out, it appears the security breaches were not the fault of the prime minister. Evidently, others responsible for the warnings did not convey them.
Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert were prepared to give the PLO a state, with the Temple Mount and an east Jerusalem capitol to boot. Current rival Naftali Bennett (who also served in the same elite counter-terrorism unit all three Netanyahu brothers were members) this week made an embarrassing blunder by offering Netanyahu a minister’s role in any new government Bennett heads.
Realizing his faux pas, Bennett tried to backtrack, claiming his offer was clearly “absurd.”
That is true, but what if he meant it? Can you get more arrogant than that? Bennett shared the premiership in a rotating deal for about 10 minutes with the hapless, left wing Yair Lapid. These two guys combined don’t approach Netanyahu’s poise and successes.
The election to determine Israel’s immediate political future will be held in two weeks. As always, the media portray Netanyahu as wounded and “in trouble.” Much like the junk media in America lie about Trump. Yet polling in recent days confirm that Netanyahu is likely to be elected again. Don’t forget: no matter what noise is going down, Israelis want to feel safe. They know that Netanyahu the Zionist has dedicated his life to being vigilant, the lion sitting on the hills at night, watching over his people.