This is a very difficult issue. The first thing to remember though is that Bibi is the head of a coalition government that was elected. The power in Israel resides with the judiciary, the media, and the universities. These elites are historically ashkenaz and left wing.
The knesset is the only democratic institution in the country.
The lawfare currently happening is just another iteration of numerous attempts to keep power in the hands of the elites. The manipulation of the supreme court into a self-sustaining entity that is more powerful than the government is another example. The constant attacks on the government make Israel very vulnerable. It is noticeable that the elites don't care. They would rather destroy Israel than give up their power.
No you are incorrect. The Israeli judges elect themselves. In a democracy the people vote for whom makes the laws and the judges have no right to override the orders of their elected government. The judicial systems have turned into a political arm of the left wing when they are not in power. Just look what happened to Trump and his supporters. All those court cases against him turned out to be made up lies by his political enemies. Even his sexual attack was a disgusting load of nonsense. If I were in a dressing room and somebody attacked me I’d scream blue murder. This was another put up job by Trumps enemies. This is now happening to Netanyahu by egomaniacs who wanted to be prime minister and couldn’t compromise to make a center government forcing Netanyahu to align with the crazy right wing. Moreover are you aware how much money Quatar throws into the US to escalate antisemitism? This is apart from the money that goes into Gaza tunneled through Israel in the hope of keeping the Palestinians quiet. Well it doesn’t work. It’s time the US and Israel started dealing with Quatar as an enemy state which it is!!!
An individual's questionable dealings with shekels in regard to whosoever cases you allude (Netanyahu, Trump or Le Pen, for example) have nothing to do with government, but should properly be addressed within courts of law.
The judiciary and executive were intended to be independent, yet recent majorities in the Knesset have been seeking to subjugate the former to the latter. This is a major constitutional issue and the cause of some unrest prior to October 7.
Yes! It is a strategy, as you stated. Caroline Glick did an in depth lengthy report also on the deep state liberals using lawfare with both Netanyahu and Trump. The message is ‘do what we want.’
There is no question that the left dominated security media and criminal justice establishments have been out to get anyone who threatens their power in Israel
Great essay! Some of it parallels what has happened and continues to go on with the Republicans and Democrats. Political lawfare was at an all time high since 2016 and it is still ongoing. I hope, as Netanyahu has in the past, survives this investigation.
The article correctly points out that the underlying fight, between “deep state” elements trying to protect the Israeli Supreme Court’s increasing control over the Knesset’s actions and BN’s self serving attempts to restore some balance, will result in collateral damages.
This civil war will continue to weaken Israel and further encourage Israel’s enemies to provide assistance towards the goal of Israel’s elimination as a sovereign Jewish country.
No man is indispensable, I am sure the Likud-party has many talented politician who are not as controversial as Mr. Nethanyahu. He is no doubt a gifted politician, but the best and final service he could render to his country now is to resign .
Israel deserves better than a bitter civil struggle around the position of one mortal.
I respectfully disagree, and suggest that history - particularly that of the Chosen People alone - provides significant qualifications to your claim. For example, let’s consider Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, any of the Judges of Israel prior to David, etc., etc., etc. How about Dreyfus, Herzl, Weizmann, Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky, etc., etc…
Perhaps we have fundamentally differing worldviews, but I believe the Bible is the Word of G-d. I happen to believe that extends to include the Brit Hadasha (New Testament), but we could restrict ourselves to the Tanakh (Old Testament) for the purpose of this matter.
Could G-d have chosen some other person throughout history to accomplish His will and purposes?
Aside from Adam, He certainly could, to the extent such choice was consistent with His declared Word. But, He didn’t, did He? And He has His own reasons for His choices that, in many respects, remain unknown to us.
G-d sovereignly chooses whom He will use… Man arrogantly presumes to choose otherwise, or act at cross-purposes with G-d’s choices. (Think the rebellion of Korah and ‘the mixed multitude…)
This plays out in myriad ways in the flow of history. But always, G-d’s will and purposes advance through time, regardless of what mankind does or does not do.
Still, there are very real consequences for the choices we make, individually and/or collectively as a people or nation. And discarding a leader, such as a Churchill, Kennedy, Trump, or Netanyahu, in favor of some other, ‘less divisive’ person (because they ‘go along to get along’?), has very real consequences to very real history.
There are a number of reasons for the internationally-coordinated efforts to eliminate Netanyahu, and there are many Sophistic arguments underlying the influence operations that are involved in such efforts. Netanyahu is a man, and like every human being, he has his faults. But, I suggest that he has proven himself to be the critical leader Israel has needed - and continues to need - in this extremely critical time in the affairs of the nation.
There may be many Israelis, or Diaspora Jews, who are truly patriotic; who truly desire nothing but ‘good’ for Israel and the Chosen People worldwide, who honestly believe as you do. I suggest you, and such people, are ‘missing the plot’. We shall see what happens as time unfolds.
But my own expectation is that, when Netanyahu ultimately exits the stage, what comes afterwards, no matter how ‘good’ it appears to be, will almost certainly prove to be one more example amongst myriads, of the foolishness of man’s choices and actions.
Regardless of what happens, at the end of it all, only G-d is faithful. And He will bring Israel through in the End - regardless of the evil designs and actions of her enemies, the betrayal of her friends, or the foolishness and unbelief of her people.
I am afraid mr. Nethanyahu is, like mr. Trump, to much assured of his messianistic quest. After all, we all are humble subcontractors of the Great Architect, whose intentions we only can interpret or guess.
Maybe; maybe not… But I would submit to you that any man whom G-d would choose to carry out any great work in our world would, in fact, come to sense that call on their lives at some point. Now, there is no doubt that there have been, and are, individuals who read that ‘sense’ in error… But, perhaps they were/are correct in sensing G-d’s call, and only mistaken in thinking that it was for ‘good’, as opposed to being chosen as an instrument of destruction/judgement, etc. Here is one example from Scripture:
Exodus 9:16 (NKJV)
“16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
At any rate, it may be that a person called to do some great work must, at least, have a ‘healthy’ belief in their ability to carry such work out. To the extent it is indeed ‘healthy’ that person would recognize that their sufficiency actually comes from G-d, not themselves. But, such is the condition of man, that it may take some time, and perhaps bitter experience, to fully realize and embrace that fact. An example from Scripture to back that up may be found in Daniel 4:28 thru 37…
I’m as pro Israel a person as you will find, and I give Bibi his due for his considerable achievements, mostly economic, but the simple fact is that he is a liar of the highest order who has broken both norms and laws and has frequently chosen his own survival over that of the State. Lawfare? Give me a break.
You correctly state that this is not just about corruption, it is also about narrative. We have never had a prime minister so media savvy as our current one who spends so much of his day with his PR advisors to ensure that he controls the narrative. Anonymous leaks are not just occasional occurrences but occur multiple times a day in order to swing opinion his way. This has reached record levels since October 7 as public opinion has turned strongly against him and he is desperate to regain popularity by painting all his actions as aggressive and heroic while other decision makers are painted as passive and mistaken. But others have learned to play this game as well. By firing people close to him (starting with Yoav Gallant), they are fighting back to restore their reputation the same way he does - leaking details to the media (or the police) of what really went on and exposing many of his bad decisions that would be unknown otherwise. He can keep preventing any official inquiry into the events of October 7 and before on the political level but that will just encourage more leaks that will paint him in a bad light. He is no longer able to control the narrative as in the past.
“The timing is critical. These charges were not brought in reaction to any supposed power grab; they predate it.”
Well duh - of course they predate it. Before charges were brought, Bibi wasn't facing jail-time. And when Bibi wasn't facing jail-time Bibi didn't need to "urgently" replace investigators and Attorneys General and try to grab power over the judiciary.
Thank you. Torah offers a warts and all Wisdom. That is all leaders are human. That is not an invitation for any proselytizers fans of Future of Jewish to jump in with their cunning and deceptive misinterpretations. Here is a fresh insight I especially from 24:08 by which time the extraordinary guest 'calms down':):) Today is my first time to come across him and his great work and writings etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceterCRyWQM
This is a very difficult issue. The first thing to remember though is that Bibi is the head of a coalition government that was elected. The power in Israel resides with the judiciary, the media, and the universities. These elites are historically ashkenaz and left wing.
The knesset is the only democratic institution in the country.
The lawfare currently happening is just another iteration of numerous attempts to keep power in the hands of the elites. The manipulation of the supreme court into a self-sustaining entity that is more powerful than the government is another example. The constant attacks on the government make Israel very vulnerable. It is noticeable that the elites don't care. They would rather destroy Israel than give up their power.
I’ve always respected Bibi. He’s the man for the moment and I hope he is able to bring Israel through this horrible war and get the hostages home.
The power of the judges to override an elected government should not be tolerated in Israel, France nor the USA.
No you are incorrect. The Israeli judges elect themselves. In a democracy the people vote for whom makes the laws and the judges have no right to override the orders of their elected government. The judicial systems have turned into a political arm of the left wing when they are not in power. Just look what happened to Trump and his supporters. All those court cases against him turned out to be made up lies by his political enemies. Even his sexual attack was a disgusting load of nonsense. If I were in a dressing room and somebody attacked me I’d scream blue murder. This was another put up job by Trumps enemies. This is now happening to Netanyahu by egomaniacs who wanted to be prime minister and couldn’t compromise to make a center government forcing Netanyahu to align with the crazy right wing. Moreover are you aware how much money Quatar throws into the US to escalate antisemitism? This is apart from the money that goes into Gaza tunneled through Israel in the hope of keeping the Palestinians quiet. Well it doesn’t work. It’s time the US and Israel started dealing with Quatar as an enemy state which it is!!!
An individual's questionable dealings with shekels in regard to whosoever cases you allude (Netanyahu, Trump or Le Pen, for example) have nothing to do with government, but should properly be addressed within courts of law.
The judiciary and executive were intended to be independent, yet recent majorities in the Knesset have been seeking to subjugate the former to the latter. This is a major constitutional issue and the cause of some unrest prior to October 7.
Yes! It is a strategy, as you stated. Caroline Glick did an in depth lengthy report also on the deep state liberals using lawfare with both Netanyahu and Trump. The message is ‘do what we want.’
There is no question that the left dominated security media and criminal justice establishments have been out to get anyone who threatens their power in Israel
Great essay! Some of it parallels what has happened and continues to go on with the Republicans and Democrats. Political lawfare was at an all time high since 2016 and it is still ongoing. I hope, as Netanyahu has in the past, survives this investigation.
The article correctly points out that the underlying fight, between “deep state” elements trying to protect the Israeli Supreme Court’s increasing control over the Knesset’s actions and BN’s self serving attempts to restore some balance, will result in collateral damages.
This civil war will continue to weaken Israel and further encourage Israel’s enemies to provide assistance towards the goal of Israel’s elimination as a sovereign Jewish country.
No winners to be found in this mess😢
I agree with you about weakening Israel which will be very dangerous for the country.
Excellent
No man is indispensable, I am sure the Likud-party has many talented politician who are not as controversial as Mr. Nethanyahu. He is no doubt a gifted politician, but the best and final service he could render to his country now is to resign .
Israel deserves better than a bitter civil struggle around the position of one mortal.
I respectfully disagree, and suggest that history - particularly that of the Chosen People alone - provides significant qualifications to your claim. For example, let’s consider Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, any of the Judges of Israel prior to David, etc., etc., etc. How about Dreyfus, Herzl, Weizmann, Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky, etc., etc…
Perhaps we have fundamentally differing worldviews, but I believe the Bible is the Word of G-d. I happen to believe that extends to include the Brit Hadasha (New Testament), but we could restrict ourselves to the Tanakh (Old Testament) for the purpose of this matter.
Could G-d have chosen some other person throughout history to accomplish His will and purposes?
Aside from Adam, He certainly could, to the extent such choice was consistent with His declared Word. But, He didn’t, did He? And He has His own reasons for His choices that, in many respects, remain unknown to us.
G-d sovereignly chooses whom He will use… Man arrogantly presumes to choose otherwise, or act at cross-purposes with G-d’s choices. (Think the rebellion of Korah and ‘the mixed multitude…)
This plays out in myriad ways in the flow of history. But always, G-d’s will and purposes advance through time, regardless of what mankind does or does not do.
Still, there are very real consequences for the choices we make, individually and/or collectively as a people or nation. And discarding a leader, such as a Churchill, Kennedy, Trump, or Netanyahu, in favor of some other, ‘less divisive’ person (because they ‘go along to get along’?), has very real consequences to very real history.
There are a number of reasons for the internationally-coordinated efforts to eliminate Netanyahu, and there are many Sophistic arguments underlying the influence operations that are involved in such efforts. Netanyahu is a man, and like every human being, he has his faults. But, I suggest that he has proven himself to be the critical leader Israel has needed - and continues to need - in this extremely critical time in the affairs of the nation.
There may be many Israelis, or Diaspora Jews, who are truly patriotic; who truly desire nothing but ‘good’ for Israel and the Chosen People worldwide, who honestly believe as you do. I suggest you, and such people, are ‘missing the plot’. We shall see what happens as time unfolds.
But my own expectation is that, when Netanyahu ultimately exits the stage, what comes afterwards, no matter how ‘good’ it appears to be, will almost certainly prove to be one more example amongst myriads, of the foolishness of man’s choices and actions.
Regardless of what happens, at the end of it all, only G-d is faithful. And He will bring Israel through in the End - regardless of the evil designs and actions of her enemies, the betrayal of her friends, or the foolishness and unbelief of her people.
Am Israel Chai!
I am afraid mr. Nethanyahu is, like mr. Trump, to much assured of his messianistic quest. After all, we all are humble subcontractors of the Great Architect, whose intentions we only can interpret or guess.
Maybe; maybe not… But I would submit to you that any man whom G-d would choose to carry out any great work in our world would, in fact, come to sense that call on their lives at some point. Now, there is no doubt that there have been, and are, individuals who read that ‘sense’ in error… But, perhaps they were/are correct in sensing G-d’s call, and only mistaken in thinking that it was for ‘good’, as opposed to being chosen as an instrument of destruction/judgement, etc. Here is one example from Scripture:
Exodus 9:16 (NKJV)
“16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
At any rate, it may be that a person called to do some great work must, at least, have a ‘healthy’ belief in their ability to carry such work out. To the extent it is indeed ‘healthy’ that person would recognize that their sufficiency actually comes from G-d, not themselves. But, such is the condition of man, that it may take some time, and perhaps bitter experience, to fully realize and embrace that fact. An example from Scripture to back that up may be found in Daniel 4:28 thru 37…
G-d bless, Mike
Amen, Mike! I agree wholeheartedly.
I’m as pro Israel a person as you will find, and I give Bibi his due for his considerable achievements, mostly economic, but the simple fact is that he is a liar of the highest order who has broken both norms and laws and has frequently chosen his own survival over that of the State. Lawfare? Give me a break.
You correctly state that this is not just about corruption, it is also about narrative. We have never had a prime minister so media savvy as our current one who spends so much of his day with his PR advisors to ensure that he controls the narrative. Anonymous leaks are not just occasional occurrences but occur multiple times a day in order to swing opinion his way. This has reached record levels since October 7 as public opinion has turned strongly against him and he is desperate to regain popularity by painting all his actions as aggressive and heroic while other decision makers are painted as passive and mistaken. But others have learned to play this game as well. By firing people close to him (starting with Yoav Gallant), they are fighting back to restore their reputation the same way he does - leaking details to the media (or the police) of what really went on and exposing many of his bad decisions that would be unknown otherwise. He can keep preventing any official inquiry into the events of October 7 and before on the political level but that will just encourage more leaks that will paint him in a bad light. He is no longer able to control the narrative as in the past.
This is an April Fools joke, right?
“The timing is critical. These charges were not brought in reaction to any supposed power grab; they predate it.”
Well duh - of course they predate it. Before charges were brought, Bibi wasn't facing jail-time. And when Bibi wasn't facing jail-time Bibi didn't need to "urgently" replace investigators and Attorneys General and try to grab power over the judiciary.
Fuck netanyahu and Donald Trump. I will see you in hell.
Josh Hoffman, thank you. Another important editorial with a clear, nuanced points about our situation in Israel. Bravo!
Thank you. Torah offers a warts and all Wisdom. That is all leaders are human. That is not an invitation for any proselytizers fans of Future of Jewish to jump in with their cunning and deceptive misinterpretations. Here is a fresh insight I especially from 24:08 by which time the extraordinary guest 'calms down':):) Today is my first time to come across him and his great work and writings etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceterCRyWQM
The law as politics by other means.
Israel has to destroy it, or it will destroy Israel. And do it while fighting an existential war.