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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Fox) |
Riding high in the polls and thus seeking a 4th term in office Netanyahu recently called for new elections. Which will take place in
April. Most polls show his party, Likud, coasting to yet another easy victory. That will keep him prime minister. Which is quite remarkable considering all the negative media attention
given to the accusations of corruption. The way some media outlets are
reporting it, you would think that Netanyahu is the most corrupt politician since
New York Democrat, William Boss’ Tweed who was convicted in 1873 of corruption to the tune of least $1 billion in today’s money.
I know that corruption is corruption. It’s like being a
little bit pregnant. You either are or you aren’t. Taking a Cuban cigar as a
gift while in office is a corrupt act if there is a law against it. But that seems to hardly raise the hackles of
most Israeli voters. Which is why I believe the polls show what they do. More about that later.
According to media reports the police have recommended 3 separate indictments be filed against Netanyahu. Some of which might be
a little more serious than taking a cigar as a gift. But even though he
might have broken the law, it was not to enrich himself
but as in one case - it was rather a means of doing what every politician in office tries to do - get
positive media coverage.
The electorate knows that too. And they don’t seem to
care about that either. It should be noted that the crimes he is accused of do
not bar him from retaining his office. Only a conviction involving a
crime of moral turpitude would require Netanyahu to resign. They do not come to
anywhere near that.
I’m not excusing it. Just explaining why accusations of
corruption do not seem to stick - bouncing off of him as though he was made of Teflon. Remember
which American President was called ‘The Teflon President’? (Hint: Ronald
Reagan.) But I digress. The attorney General will decide whether or not to
indict him.
I believe that any indictment (should it come and legitimate though it may be) is the result
of attempts by his political opponents to get rid of him for political purposes.
They can’t stand him and can’t they stand his right wing policies. They couldn’t
do it at the polls. So they found another way. They got the police to investigate
his every move and dig deep until they came up with something.
Much the same
way that Trump’s political opponents have by appointing a special prosecutor to
investigate him. I am not making
judgments about the guilt or innocence of either man. Just pointing out the
political motives in both. I don’t think there can be any doubt about that.
Why is Netanyahu so popular? First a disclaimer. I am a fan.
I know that this is heresy to my friends on the Left who cannot stand him and think he is the
reincarnation of the devil. But I see him the same way much of the Israeli electorate
does. As a flawed but very strong, articulate and effective leader who has done a superb job of keeping the country safe through some very perilous times.
Neatnyahu has led Israel through strength which has resulted
in relative peace and prosperity. All while Iran and their surrogates in Gaza
and Lebanon work furiously 24/7 to destroy Israel. He has significantly improved Israel’s relationship
with China, India, Russia, Japan, Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe.
And then there is Neatnayhu’s hard line with respect to
Iran. That has resulted in improved relationships with Arab states that were
once thought unthinkable. States that include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and United
Arab Emirates.
Ever fearless about the consequences of Israel’s relationship with
then President Barack Obama, Netanyahu flew to the United States to protest the
deal Obama was about to make with Iran. Democrats were furious with him for ‘dishonoring’
their President. But Netanyahu (correctly in my view) believed the deal was terrible and would
do more harm than good – urging the administration not to go ahead with it. But they did anyway.
Thankfully the new administration has voided the deal and
reinstated sanctions that are now crippling that terrorist regime. And yet they have not
restarted their nuclear weapons program as was predicted by the Left. Instead Iran is being brought to its knees financially. I don’t know how much
more the good people of Iran can take before they do something drastic. Like revolt
against their government. Thank you Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President.
Even the settlements issue is no longer on the front burner
of world opinion. Haven’t heard too much about that these days even
from Palestinians.
Israel’s economy is in pretty good shape too compared to
the rest of the world (with the obvious exception of the US). I guess 10 years
of Netanyahu’s economic policies didn’t hurt it.
How will the religious parties do after the election? That is a good question. My guess is that they
will lose power. Recent polls show Shas retaining as few as 4 seats from
their current number of 7. UTJ stands to actually gain a seat to their
current 6. Naftali Bennett’s right wing Jewish Home Party will gain as many as
4 additional sheets over its current 8. And Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid
Party will gain about 5 additional seats to its current 11. Meanwhile Netanyahu’s
Likud Party looks secure in taking the most seats at about 30, its current
level.
All this adds up to a coalition government without any
participation by the religious parties. A
coalition that will no doubt push hard to draft Charedim into the army or some
form of national service. The very thing the Charedi parties are fighting so
hard to prevent having threatened to bolt the current coalition government if they didn’t get their way.
That is now moot.
True, these are only projections based on polls. Which have been
proven wrong in the past. But if I were a betting man, I would not be betting
on the Charedim right now. I am not making any judgments about the rectitude of
their position on the draft - although I have my own somewhat complex views about it. Just
stating what I believe to be the most likely reality come April - as things stand now.
