By Ted Belman
This article has some very important truths about Netanyahu. READ IT.
From the start of the election campaign and even beyond his victory, Netanyahu has had one message – a unity government is not on the agenda. But YNET asks “can this declaration withstand a reality check?
After listing many Netanyahu’s quotes in which he negated a unity government, the YNET article continues:
But it was hard to find senior Likud ministers to parrot Netanyahu’s mantra during the campaign. Perhaps because its DNA is so completely different to that of previous political discourse between Likud and Labor.
In fact, some Likud ministers are clinging even today to their support for a national unity government, ministers as Silvan Shalom, Moshe Ya’alon and Yuval Steinitz. One of the few who stood behind Netanyahu anti-unity campaign is Israel Katz, who a few days before the elections told the media: “We will not enter a unity government under any circumstances.”
Netanyahu’s behavior in the recent election was completely different from the way he worked in the two previous elections of 2009 and 2013. At that point, he was still an advocate of the unity government, and advocated its establishment with the exact same partner – Labor.
Shortly before the 2009 elections, Netanyahu visited the office of then-defense minister and Labor leader Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv, for a one-on-one meeting to discuss Labor joining a unity government headed by Netanyahu. Barak received Netanyahu’s pledge that he would once again be defense minister, and, despite a pledge after his electoral defeat that “we will serve the people from the opposition”, Barak decided to join the Netanyahu government.
After the 2013 elections, Netanyahu held secret negotiations with Shelly Yacimovich, then chairman of the Labor Party. Netanyahu offered her a significant package of portfolios in an effort to persuade Labor to join a unity government, but Yacimovich rejected every one of his advances. Finally, he turned to the Hatnua chief Tzipi Livni, who became the first to sign a coalition agreement with Likud.
‘It’s all spin’
Netanyahu kept up his constant attacks on the very notion of a unity government even after the election was over. On March 22, he said that no unity government would be formed with the Zionist Union, while his spokesman claimed that, contrary to media reports, there had been no Likud overtures towards Isaac Herzog. “If Netanyahu wants to contact him, he would do it himself,” the spokesman said.
And Herzog? During the election campaign, the Zionist Union leader was careful not to commit to or strongly oppose a unity government. His refusal to make a formal and explicit promise one way or the other sparked a wave of rumors in the political system and in his party itself. Senior Zionist Union members even claimed that, “Herzog will not close the door on the possibility of forming a unity or rotation government.”
After the elections, the Zionist Union leader declared his party would serve the people from the ranks of the opposition: “This is the only realistic option – we will be a worthy substitute to this government with a limited lifespan.”
Another week passed, and Herzog posted the same pledge on his Facebook page. “If anyone wants to know the intentions of me and our party is welcome to ask and hear to what I say. We will be an aggressive opposition. The rest is spin. I am saying clearly: The Zionist Union party is not a tool in the race to demolish the State of Israel that Bennett and Bibi are running.”
This week Israel’s Channel 1 television reported a secret meeting between Netanyahu and Herzog. They both denied it. I spoke with Herzog last week, and he again denied the report. If this is the case, shall the twain ever meet?
In another article published by YNET on April 10th, Ben-Dror Yemini, argued Now’s the time for a unity government
Assuming that Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims regarding the agreement with Iran are justified – and they are – it’s time that he, too, did some soul searching. After all, preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear threshold state was top priority for the Israeli prime minister. And now, according to Netanyahu himself, the agreement clearly shows that he failed.
Netanyahu had the right message. The problem was with the messenger. He made sure to paint himself not only as a tough leader, but as a rejectionist too. Most leaders of the free world support the existence of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Even US President Barack Obama spoke the words, “Jewish state,” during his visit to Ramallah, in full view of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.
Netanyahu offered a very flexible position vis-à-vis the Palestinians. But he kept it a secret. Throughout the years for the most part, Netanyahu has insisted, publicly at least, on continuing with the settlement enterprise, which is like a red rag to a bull not only for the leaders of the free world, but also for most of Israel’s supporters around the world. The Palestinian issue was and remains one of the most sensitive in the international arena.
Not that there is any justification for this, but that’s just the way it is. And even if it is clear that there is no immediate solution, on the backdrop of the threat of a Hamas takeover and Palestinian rejectionism, continuing to build in the settlements makes Israel the one responsible for the failure – despite the fact that Abbas has rejected every proposed deal over the past decade.
Apart from a 10-month freeze, Netanyahu came across as someone who has turned the settlements into his life’s work. The settlers themselves complain that in practice, a freeze or something close to a freeze has been in place in recent years. Certainly outside of the large settlement blocs.
But just as he kept his willingness for compromises under wraps, Netanyahu also kept his policy of restraint with respect to construction in the settlements a secret. And at the same time, every small construction project grabbed huge headlines. And as a result, Netanyahu is viewed as a rejectionist.
A different position on the highly sensitive Palestinian issue would have won him more sympathy for the Israeli position on Iran. Because in the same way that Netanyahu is perceived as irresponsible with respect to the Palestinian issue, he is also viewed as less justified when it comes to Iran. (I doubt this proposition)
He went on to say that have misrepresented himself as a hawk on Palestinian affairs because his anti-Iran position would have had more credibility. And thus he argued that a Unity government would have a better chance to stop Iran.
There is so MUCH flashing about on the net on the issue of Israel and the formation of the new government. Who do believe?
Let me approach this from a tangent. It is reported that Bennett was offered a Ministry under the heading of “Intelligence”.
Some things about Bennett I like. Some not so much. For example he holds the same position as Caroline Glick that it is good policy to make Arabs in Israel happy and successful. I do not agree with this. I hold the oppsite view. So he is a man who has illusions about life and the enemy.
At the same time Bennett in the Gaza War took the initiative of investigating the tunnels against the desire of top cliques not to.
So from that I conclude if he was to cool down and see the Iran issue as the main issue then he would go with Intelligence, use that to find out exactly what the Iranians are up to, publish every piece of information on that.
Then he would be doing a great deal. He would be the MAIN MAN in the new Government
Israel is too divided to be effective.
There is reason behind Putin warning Israel not to supply the Fascists in Ukraine with arms. It is because Israel WAS supplying Saakashvili in Georgia with arms, and Saakashvili is a product of among others Soros.
If there is any section of Israeli elites again planing to give arms to the Ukraine Fascists then the Israeli people need to know and discuss this.
Read this:
“No doubt a unity government would be a more effective and credible counter to the mullah bomb but let’s not forget why Bibi called these early elections. The unity he had was intolerable and thwarted every initiative of the government forcing him to call the election. At the present time (and most of the time for that matter) a unity government is an oxymoronic phrase in the State of Israel.”
There is an immediate answer to this. Bibi fought the election, he fought the election by forcing Herzog out in the open.
Bibi on March 8 insisted that the issue was about Iran…not about houses etc. The old rotten economism of Labour (Second International outbreak of war 1914) was caterpulted out of the water in that half hour in Congress on March 8
So he was defeated. The traitor wing in Israeli politics was defeated.
Netanyahu because of the election has the opportunity to create the politics against Iran he wants. The only thing holding him back is people like Benett.
If Netanyahu has the backing of these who should be backing him (on the basis of the March 8 Congress Intervention) then it is possible to invite Herzog in to a government of national unity
If he refuses he is exposed
If he accets then he has to put his words on Iran into practice.
The issue of a “Unity Government” has to be seen against the context of the defeat of Herzog and Obama on March 8. The comment I quoted above just does not keep up with events and the new situation since March 8 in Congress.
IF Netanyahu has enough political nerve, he will not form a government. He will let Herzog try. If Herzog succeeds, he will find himself in the position on Livni: Even she could not agree the the demands of Abbas. So even Herzog will have to refuse the Arab demands, and will have to suffer American and European pressure – say, for two years. When Obama becomes irrelevant, Netanyahu will return. In the meantime, Netanyahu should do exactly what he did not do sufficiently for the past years: Public Diplomacy. Work to get the Jewish narrative back to public acceptance, and to totally discredit the Arab narrative. And build up the cae against Iran, which is the cae for bombing Iran, which will be necessary soon.
Well put Yidvocate!!
No doubt a unity government would be a more effective and credible counter to the mullah bomb but let’s not forget why Bibi called these early elections. The unity he had was intolerable and thwarted every initiative of the government forcing him to call the election. At the present time (and most of the time for that matter) a unity government is an oxymoronic phrase in the State of Israel.
I point out to Netanyahu and to a writer who I trust – Martin Sherman – that this is incorrect and must be continually corrected. I repeat “We cannot allow a left-wing government”. This interpretation is incorrect (I agree with every word of the rest by Netanyahu above). It is the stone to drag down Israelis. Herzog/Livni or any such combination are never left if left is to mean socialist. They are not. Labour anywhere today isnever socialist but capitalist.
YNet is the enemy of the Jews. That was proven in the very election. They are the traitor class.
But what emerged for me in the election is that what is known as the “Right” also betray continually. They also are traitors. They attacked Netanyahu up to and immediately after his historical March 8 Congress speech and fight against Obama. This same treachery is refelcted int he latest noises from Bennett against Netanyahu where Bennet threatens to pull out over a parcial and insignificant religious matter (a Shas Ministry) and leave Netanyahu high and dry. What treachery from Bennett!
I am a Trotskyist, building a Trotskyist Party, and I will conclusively show that what I wriute here is the truth.
And the intellectual outcome is that we need everywhere a new leadership, a Trotskyiust leadership.
One would have thought that by now, those that write/ articulate or comment regarding the Israeli media would know that the “combina” owns all state related broadcasting organs.
YNET belongs to the Mozes family who also runs “yediot acharonot” and more. They are virulent anti-Jewish entities who worked with the Obama NGO’s and field operatives before, during and after the elections.
The “YNET”, “ha’aretzc”, Livni, Obama, Hertzog, yehidot acharonot” gangs so called “reality” is tailored to steal elections that they lost.
Netanyahu knows that he will not gain a foothold via “unity” with Livni, Peres, etal. Eventually conniving and lying catches up with the connivers.
The unJewish renegades have been “uniting” to sabotage and maintain control for decades.
It is time to smash the peresites.