Binyamin Netanyahu’s promiscuous behavior in regards to the negotiations on the economic waters between Israel and Lebanon is, alone, a justified reason not to vote for him in this election, and in all future elections. This is not an exaggeration. This is the truth.
“We will not compromise our interests”: Lapid ordered to reject Lebanon’s comments to the agreement
Lapid: “understands the frustration of those who failed to reach an agreement”; Netanyahu: “Israel is in danger”
For many years I have maintained that of all the prime ministers who have been here, the only one who would prefer action for his personal benefit over action for the benefit of the country is Benjamin Netanyahu. The man proves this claim time and time again. He already left the country without a budget, only to stab Benny Gantz, who cheated his voters and agreed to “go under the stretcher” after Netanyahu pleaded with him and promised that “I will take my place in November without tricks and without tricks”.
He has already posed for a smug selfie with the security guard from the embassy in Jordan, lost relations with King Abdullah and later the Zufar and Naharim enclaves, just to get a few more likes on the networks. He has already released 1,100 terrorists, including 400 murderers, and signed a deal that the “leftist” Olmert refused to approve, only because he thought it was what would calm the summer protests, which threatened his rule.
This is a very partial list. This time, he broke all his previous records. He could be the one who set the whole Middle East on fire, just to convince some who are undecided about religious Zionism to vote for him, or at least not to vote for Ayelet Shaked, so that the lady will calm down.
Before Kippur, Netanyahu spoke at an election conference in Rehovot. A speech full of lies. I couldn’t get a word of truth out of him. Here is the text, word for word: “Nasrallah threatened Yair Lapid and told him to sign, or be kidnapped! Like this. So Yair Lapid shamefully surrendered. I refused to sign this surrender agreement, and within three months Yair Lapid signed a surrender agreement in which he transfers sovereign territory of the State of Israel, your territory, into the hands of Hezbollah. Where he transfers a gas field, billions of dollars, into the hands of Hezbollah. This is your gas. This is your money.
“Yair Lapid opposed the extraction of the gas twice, and now he is running to extract the gas from the water at the Lebanese border and hand it over to Nasrallah and Hezbollah. And what will Nasrallah do with this money? Build neighborhoods?? I didn’t hear, build neighborhoods?? Build settlements? No!!! He will buy missiles and arm himself with rockets. You know where this is going. on us disgrace”.
There is no vocabulary rich enough in Hebrew to express the magnitude of the disgrace of this shameful text. Let’s start with the basic lies: contrary to what Netanyahu said, Lapid did not sign any agreement with Lebanon (“Lapid signed a surrender agreement within three months”). There is no agreement. What there is is an offer from the American mediator. Israel, on the recommendation of all the security and political factors, tended to agree.
The Lebanese delivered a demand for repairs in the Mochas. Lapid refused to continue bargaining and blew up the negotiations. That’s the situation, as of now. No, Mr. Netanyahu. Lapid did not sign the agreement that you refused to sign. And one more thing: you never refused to sign this agreement. He didn’t exist in your time. The negotiations have not matured. Therefore you are lying. Once again. During your time we were about as far from an agreement as you are from the truth.
Further: Nasrallah did not threaten Lapid and did not tell him to “sign, or be kidnapped”. If Netanyahu had not regularly refused to report to Lapid for updates, as does every opposition leader to whom the country is important, he would have known the truth. Here is the truth: all the security officials are united in the opinion that the agreement, in its American outline, is good and essential for Israel. They are united in the opinion That the agreement will weaken Nasrallah and Iran, and especially Lebanon’s dependence on the Iranian oil tankers that allow the residents of Beirut three to four hours of electricity a day. They are united in the assessment that the agreement will bring security and stability to the entire northern front.
The truth is that the two people who oppose the agreement on the economic waters are Hassan Nasrallah and Benjamin Netanyahu. Not necessarily in that order. The reason: Because of this agreement, Nasrallah will lose a lot of points in the Lebanese public opinion, and his great economic leverage (Iranian aid). Netanyahu will lose a lot of points in Israeli public opinion. And another election night.
Further: Lapid does not transfer “sovereign territory of the State of Israel to Hezbollah”. This lie is transparent, gross, shocking and especially disgusting. The economic waters are devoid of sovereignty. It is not Israeli sovereign territory. There is no sovereignty in economic waters. There are only financial interests. Netanyahu knows this very well. It doesn’t stop him from lying. This does not prevent him from inciting in front of his supporters. This does not prevent him from explaining that Lapid opposed the removal of Israeli gas from the water and now he is removing the Israeli gas from the water and transferring it to Nasrallah.
No, Lapid was not opposed to “taking the gas out of the water”. Lapid objected to the parts of the gas outline that, in his opinion, were too generous towards the tycoons and too stingy towards the citizens of Israel. As I recall, Netanyahu promised us that the wealth fund would accumulate hundreds of billions. Let’s settle for tens of billions. Currently, there are barely one billion there. Netanyahu knows very well that there is no reasonable or sane prime minister who would “oppose taking the gas out of the water”. He knows, and continues to lie and incite.
Netanyahu’s plagiarism and incitement speech ended with another lie: what will Nasrallah buy with the billions that Lapid will transfer to him? He asked/incited his listeners – missiles and rockets. And what is the truth? The truth is that Netanyahu received Nasrallah from Olmert with something like 14 thousand rockets. Netanyahu handed over Nasrallah to Bennett with something like 150 or even 200 thousand rockets. Much more sophisticated and accurate than the ones he had in 2009. This, and more: the billions that Lebanon will receive from the gas (if and when) will go to the Lebanese state treasury. Nasrallah receives the rockets and missiles from Hezbollah’s budget, which is mainly built on Iranian aid and drug smuggling.