'The Netanyahu Years'

Although so far, my favorite book about Bibi Netanyahu in terms of comprehensive view on the political character is Anshel Pfeffer's, The Netanyahu Years by Ben Caspit, also a journalist, offers a psychological description of the - still - Israeli prime-minister. And what you see at the end is not a nice view of him, not at all.

Used to live 'well at low cost' from his NYC years, Netanyahu - described by the former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin as 'an American soap opera hero', 'this emigrant (that) wants to be prime minister of Israel (allusion of the years Bibi spent with his family in the States) - is a man with a big, big love for power. And for Sara too.

'(...) friends, feelings, and commitments are all foreign to Netanyahu when he is focused on an objective'. As for now, his objective is to stay in power, even with the risk of keeping a country captive to his political projections, as it happens right now. Successfully entering the history as the longest prime-minister, the only way he got the revenge to Ben Gurion who marginalized his father and to the 'princes' of the Israeli politics who ridiculized his ambitions, he built up his own world. Where he and Sara - the first time in the seven decade old state of Israel when a prime minister wife become so involved in the everyday political life (not that they were not worth it) - are ruling a country, and even dare to face the American politicians and presidents. An attitude that not only damages Likud but on the medium and long term affects at a great extent the future of the Jewish state and its position into the world arena.

Although I've found that the book delves too much into psychology and even psychiatry, The Netanyahu Years is an useful reading, among other recent books about the Israeli prime minister.    

One Tuesday After...

The Tuesday 9th was one week ago, and gone are also the excitement, emotions, anger, thoughts and worries.

People had elected what they considered the best for them. With or without other people's worries, they, those people with the right to express their vote, decided what is the best for them, their families and the future of their children. The elections were fair, people went to vote in a relatiely higher number - although it is a bit not so inspired to make elections' day a free day when the young people will most probably go to the seaside or to Eilat instead of going to vote. But the big majority knew exactly what they are voting for, what is the discussion about corruption, who is acccused for corruption and what does it mean voting the person accused of corruption for another mandate. The voters also had enough time - 13 years - to figure out if that person is worth being in the office again. Or what will it happen when more religious parties will be present in the government. Or how good will it be for the country to have a stronger voice of the Kahanists heard in the Parliament or in the public opinion. 

That's how things are and there is nothing to do against or for. How things will be, people who voted decided the last Tuesday. They are the one responsible for their future and it will be their future from now on. 

Democracies gave the people's right to decide about their future. Including about a future where democracy is rather a memory. 

About Tuesday

A couple of years ago, when Obama was president, the decision makers in Israel shared more than once the opinion that Washington shall understand that 70 years after its founding the Jewish state is entitled to take its own decisions and be responsible for them. An opinion perfectly available that would have make a break in a certain level of inter-dependence between the two countries, each with specific strategic, geopolitical and economic interests.

After 13 years in powe as prime minister - anyone remembers Thomas Moore's quote: 'Laws could be passed to keep the leader of a government from getting too much power'? - 'Mr. Security' Benjamin Netanyahu announces that he succeeded - in fact - to convince the American administration about: the need to recognize unilaterally the Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, eventually over the West Bank soon, the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem etc. What would it have to say when a new administration will be installed - at least the mandates of the American presidents are wisely limited to eight years - and will decide to reverse those decisions? 

If on Tuesday, the first Benjamin - or Bibi - will win against the second one - Benny Gantz - as the polls are already showing, what future for the Israeli democracy? There will be probably negotiations for creating a coalition, and the president Rivlin has an important word to say. But the Kahanists will be in the Parliament and together with them, way too much religious people. Fortunatelly, there are still some normal heads among the religious establishment wise enough to know that religion and politics shall be separated otherwise the poison is dangerous for both sides.

The predominance of an unique religious mindset already estranged the diaspora organisations. For years, the Kotel - the Western Wall - is a place of confrontation and exchange of curses. An abnormality despicable for all those involved in the bashing, will be about to become normality. 

Bibi's extremists friends, from Orban Viktor to the Austrian far right party and the Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines will rejoice, but this is the place where the Likud, created in 1973 by Menahem Begin and Ariel Sharon belongs to? Not forget about Putin...Or the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Journalists are permanently under threat as the prime-minister and its family hates it. Using a rhetoric familiar to his American friend, he and his wife and the son Yair are labelling easily every news daring to criticize them as 'fake news'. Israel Hayom and the dozen of thousands of boots and fake accounts and media brigades are 'real'. In psychological language it's called being delusional.

If the polls are to be believed, the day after Tuesday will be a sad day, with a new round of witch hunting, with a media under new threats and a deeper division not only between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Arab electorate - whose demonization is also part of the current 'Mr. Security's discourse - but between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Jewish/Israeli electorate. This division will go far beyond between the Tel Aviv 'party' people and the Haifa 'working people and the Jerusalem 'praying people', but between those who want a better and safe future for their families and children and the one family who's concerned about its own wellbeing. Europe, America and the world, there will be mor and more 'yordim' coming. 

Democracies are dying too and there is nothing that might stop the decline. 

'The Western Wall is long enough to accommodate everyone'

A short quote from the speech delivered by the Blue&White Party Chairman Benny Gantz at the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC:

'In Bergen-Belsen no one asked, who is Reform and who is Conservative; who is Orthodox and who is secular. Before going into battle, I never checked to see who had a kippa under their helmet. The divisive dialogue tearing our strong nation apart may serve political purposes, but is shredding the fabric that holds us together.

As a proud owner of a red beret, worn by the liberators of the Kotel, I can tell you with confidence that the Western Wall is long enough to accommodate everyone. Everyone! There will be no radicals, from either side of the political map, ruling. There will be no “Kahanists” running our country. There will be no racists leading our state institutions. There will be no corruption leading our way. No corruption whatsoever! The leaders of Israel cannot be led by anything else other than the best interest of Israel and its people'.