Natanyahu has led a charmed political life…skirting the admittedly byzantine Israeli laws and political rules seemingly designed to catch him in the act. And he certainly presents himself as a statesman, dressing and speaking the part. His command of English is noteworthy, and he seems to be a man of the West, rather than the Middle East.
But “seems” is the important word. Netanyahu also “seems” to be a tough and implacable foe of those who would destroy Israel, but his political machinations — always in pursuit of power — have overwhelmed his primary responsibility: the defense of the state of Israel from all foes, foreign and domestic.
His obsessive desire to please…the world, its media and its heads of state…have come at the expense of many Israeli lives. Time and again, Israel carefully titrated its response to military and political challenges to minimize the opprobrium that came anyway. The result was a militarized southern Lebanon (Hezbollah), a militarized West Bank (Palestinian Authority), and a militarized Gaza (Hamas).
And possibly even worse, a military response to Iranian nuclear programs was put off again and again, all at the behest of Western powers. Whether that decision was correct is a valid question, but it was answered by Netanyahu’s desire to remain in the good graces of America and to a lesser extent Britain, France and Germany, and not by the more important calculation of what is best for Israel.
And here he does what he does best…sacrificing the future security of the state of Israel for short term political expediency that is fleeting at best.
Liberman: Netanyahu is granting immunity to Hamas leaders
Journalist Ben Caspit reports that over the course of the last few years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was presented with six potential operations for the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The operations were presented by the last three directors of the ISA – Yoram Cohen, Nadav Argaman, and Ronen Bar. According to the report, each of the six was not merely a theory, but a fully-prepared operation ready to be launched, had Netanyahu approved any of them – which he did not.
What possible benefit to Israel came out of Netanyahu’s refusal to act against a man and an organization that has one aim…the destruction of Jews, Judaism and the state of Israel? Was a couple of trade missions and a few million dollars in foreign investment (maybe) worth allowing the continued existence of Hamas and its leaders?
Now we have information that Netanyahu is still playing his games, making deals with Qatar to protect the man who is responsible for the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
The Jerusalem Post reports that:
French journalist Georges Malbrunot of “Le Figaro” reported from his sources that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to Qatar that Israel would not act against the leaders of Hamas living in Qatar.
If this is true, it is an intolerable insult to the memories of the 1,400 Israelis who were butchered by Hamas on October 7th, and the hundreds who have been killed during Netanyahu’s tenure as Prime Minister.
For the foreseeable future, there should be one foreign policy in Israel; hunt down the perpetrators of the October 7th Pogrom and kill them. In Qatar, Khan Yunis, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, or a mud hut in Mali.
Anything else will send an unequivocal message to the foes of Israel that there is some level of terrorism and murder and destruction that is acceptable to the Israeli political elite.
As someone who has actually faced him in meetings, Bibi is a complicated man. The mix of paranoia and classic liberal belief in the goodness of man is interesting.
Interesting. Was your interaction years ago or more recent? Unlike many, I believe people change over time, as their principles are marked by the strife they face. Very capable people, like Bibi (and his old colleague, Romney) maybe change more than idiots like Biden, whose essential sleaze has just gotten more pronounced.
Would you say he is different now? My own theory is that people who manage to stay in (or close to) power for many years have to be a little chameleon-like.
I have to be careful, but let’s say some years ago. I would say your last paragraph is spot on.
My, never had a comment moderated, so this will be my last. In reply, I can’t be specific for reasons but it was some years ago. And I think your last paragraph is correct. As an addendum, Bibi is much more a man than Romney.
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There was a time when he seemed less willing to compromise his principles. Allowing the Biden NatSec group to influence war policy is something I cannot imagine him doing years ago. Every issue they touch is a disaster.