Stratetic adviser: ‘There’s outspoken criticism of Netanyahu’s leadership’

T. Belman. Bibi is choosing calm over reform.

Roni Rimon, top strategic adviser, says ‘rebellion’ in vote on Judicial Selection Committee is ‘rare occurrence’ but unlikely to topple coalition.

By Dudi Ben-Chamo, INN       16.6.23

Strategic adviser Roni Rimon believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to rethink his plans following the recent developments concerning the Judicial Selection Committee, a key part of the planned judicial reform.

Speaking with Israel National News – Arutz Sheva, Rimon said, “I did not expect that the coalition would down the vote or the request of the Prime Minister. It was unexpected and it is a very rare occurrence that the Prime Minister instructs his coalition partners to vote a certain way and they do not listen to him. Everything that happened surrounding the voting for the Judicial Selection Committee was an accumulation of rare events – in a situation which from the coalition’s perspective was very critical.”

Rimon acknowledged that, “There have been instances in which people threatened not to vote with the coalition on certain issues, but I do not remember a rebellion like this on a clearly tactical political process -a nd from Netanyahu’s perspective, this is an event which is really not good.”

Rimon also said, “There is outspoken criticism here about Netanyahu’s leadership. From his perspective, they gave him a yellow card.” At the same time, he does not believe that this incident alone will lead to the fall of the coalition.

“History teaches us that very few times does it happen that an isolated incident upsets the stability of a coalition. But if there is a chain of incidents, that may place it in danger,” he explained.

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In his opinion, the only thing Netanyahu is interested in is calming things down:

“Netanyahu is interested, in my opinion, in continuing the talks in the President’s Residence he is interested in sending a message of calm and not a determination to pass any sort of reform – which other forces on the Right wish to advance. He would like the talks in the President’s Residence to continue forever – because they are already not a goal but a means to melt the reform – for the purpose of making US President Joe Biden happy and coming to meet him. He estimates that a successful meeting will bring investments back to Israel and strengthen hi-tech and Israel’s entire economy.”

When asked what advice he would give Netanyahu, Rimon said, “Netanyahu now has a month to choose the coalition’s representative to the Judicial Selection Committee. In my opinion, he already needs to be holding talks about this in the Knesset, to bring about the selection of a representative of the coalition.”

The opposition, Rimon said, “is proving that they did not intend to reach any compromise” in the talks at the President’s Residence, “and if Netanyahu does this quickly he will be able to blame the opposition for torpedoing the talks.”