The recent speech by the prime minister has caused concern as it was full of falsehoods and delivered in a clumsy manner. Many believe the speech was designed to distract from the planned regime coup happening in the Knesset next week regarding the appointment of judges. The battle between extremism and moderation has taken place on two fronts: first, surrounding four or five MKs in the Likud; and second, within Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Despite calls for a halt to the legislation, Netanyahu has vowed to go ahead with it, causing further unrest.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant has announced his intention to make a statement calling for an end to the legislation, which Sarah Netanyahu has also called for. However, Netanyahu’s faction has threatened Galant, denying rumours of delaying the legislation. Netanyahu’s fears are vast, encompassing everything from toppling protests to heavy economic and security costs, to the threat of the law and even certain individuals.
Contrary to his past behavior, Netanyahu is now a frightened and indecisive leader, taking unnecessary risks that could further destabilize the country. As he tries to cling to power, warnings from key security forces and the economy falling apart have caused immense pressure.
On the other front, a group of eight MKs from the Likud have been subjected to threats and warnings over the dangerous legislation. Business leaders, hiatists, and politicians have all spoken out against it, including Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot. The recent actions of Defense Minister Yoav Galant have been encouraging, but there are still many obstacles to overcome. Despite the efforts of these groups, the poison machine and Netanyahu’s factions continue to pose a threat.
Read the full column in Maariv Sofashavu for more information.
The prime minister’s speech yesterday was confused, full of gross lies, stammered and stressed. A speech that had nothing in it, except for a heart-wrenching attempt to silence the protest and obscure the core of the regime coup that is planned to pass a third reading next week in the Knesset: the committee for the appointment of judges. A mighty battle for the soul of the country took place here in the last days and weeks. A battle between logic and madness, between trolling and responsibility, between extremism and moderation. This battle took place on two fronts: the first, around four or five MKs in Likud. The second within one person: Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu did not call for a halt to the legislation: “The law to change the judges’ committee will go up next week”
Lapid in response to the Prime Minister’s speech: “Netanyahu has no intention of holding real talks”
Yesterday afternoon it was learned that Defense Minister Yoav Galant is going to make a statement and call for an end to the legislation. This news was added to a message published by Sarah Netanyahu, in which she lamented (as usual) her fate but also called for “a broad consensus to be reached”. For a moment it seemed that Netanyahu understood that they had succeeded in reaching the edge of the abyss. But then the faction of Netanyahu III, Yair: Shlomo Karai, Galit Distel Atbarian and their apprentice Boaz Bismuth rushed to tweet implied threats against Galant and his future. Netanyahu Jr. himself stormed the network and angrily denied talk of delaying the legislation.
A short time later, the famous poison machine was started and pointed at the Minister of Defense. Netanyahu Sr., torn from the inside and tattered from the outside, knelt down and hurriedly summoned Gallant to his office in Jerusalem. This column was written while they were dating.
What activates Netanyahu? the sum of his fears. If you want to know what Netanyahu will decide, you need to understand what he is more afraid of: the protest, which he compares to the “Orange Revolution” that could topple him from power, or the heavy economic and security price the country is already paying, or the Americans, or the law, or Mishra and Yair, Or from Riv Levin, Amsalem and Rothman, or from the ultra-Orthodox. This is the parallel of his fears. These days, she’s more bloated than ever. He managed to maneuver himself (and us) into a more dangerous cargo arena than ever before. Either he won’t have a government, or he won’t have a country.
The readers of this column know, for two decades, that Netanyahu is not the main decision maker in his house. In recent years it has worsened sevenfold. Currently, it is relegated to the bottom of the food pyramid. He has one representative on the board. The original Netanyahu would not have blinked yesterday, and would have ordered the legislation to be stopped. The original Netanyahu is a person who does not take unnecessary risks. This is what he has done in the past, countless times (the magnetometer affair was a typical example).
The current Netanyahu is a shaking punching bag, at a loss, paralyzed by terror. The risks he takes are incredible. In recent weeks, he has heard warnings that no prime minister has heard before him. The Chief of Staff does not spare him the situation. The head of the Shin Bet (publication by Dana Weiss yesterday) warned very severely. The head of the Mossad as above. The reserve army is collapsing. The permanent and regular army is following it. The economy is falling apart. Everything is on fire – and Netanyahu continues to be dragged, like a sock puppet, after his terrorizers.
On the other front, the events were fascinating. These are eight MKs from the Likud who were subjected to a terrible “press” for weeks. No, not in the style of the poison machine. There were no megaphones, no curses, no threats. There were meetings, data, warnings, pleas, demonstrations and demonstrations of the terrible results of the legislation. The crazy one. A cohesive group of the leading businessmen in Israel, an equally cohesive group of hiatists, and also an interesting group of politicians, led by Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who did the job. On the side front, a sophisticated softening work was also done on Mrs. Netanyahu.
On Friday afternoon it seemed to be working. After David Bitan jumped into the water first and Yuli Edelstein was the first to start stuttering, it was the turn of the first violinist, Yoav Galant. He, better than anyone, knows the threats. Both those that accumulate along the borders and those, more dangerous, that occur within the IDF. Gallant knows that this collapse will be recorded in his watch and in his Wikipedia entry. He has been presenting these things to Netanyahu for many days. On Thursday, he decided to present them to the public as well.
His contacts with Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot contributed to his decision. An interesting trio. Gallant was supposed to be Chief of Staff, but it didn’t help. He was replaced by Gantz, who was replaced by Eisenkot. Now the three of them, together over 110 years of service in uniform, found themselves in the middle of the hot fire that types like Rival Levin and Simcha Rothman drilled here. Gallant decided to take action.
It was estimated that if Gallant stood at the head of the camp, the others would join after him. He will mark the way for Yuli Edelstein, Nir Barkat, Avi Dichter and others. He will grant the security goushpanka to the move, regardless of the “reform” itself. But then, as mentioned, the poison machine went into action and began to close in on Galant, and also on Netanyahu. Because at the end of the day and the bottom line, the main victim of this poison machine is Benjamin Netanyahu. The golem stood up to its creator. He raised the monster and now he finds that there is no one to put her back in the cage.
The full column in Maariv Sofashavu
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