As the USA and the world await the swearing in of Donald Trump, a political storm is growing in Israel. For years the Left and the Israeli media elite have tried their best to take down Bibi Netanyahu. The goal has always been to replace the Likud led government with a left of center leadership that would gut Israel’s Biblical heartland by vacating the communities that have been built there. The Left was so assured that their full court press against Netanyahu would work during the last elections, when it didn’t, they were left despondent.
With Trump about to take over the reigns of leadership in America, the Israeli left knows that a permanent presence of Jews in Judea and Samaria will be a fait accompli, that is unless they can throw the government into turmoil.
Two pending cases have surfaced against Bibi Netanyahu. One involves a friend buying expensive cigars for the Prime Minister. The other involves Bibi’s arch nemesis, owner of Yediot Aharonot Nuni Mozes and his attempt to offer favorable news coverage in place of Bibi supporting a law to shut down Israel HaYom. Israel HaYom, owned by Sheldon Adelson is the most widely circulated newspaper in Israel and is seen as the Prime Minister’s mouth piece.
With the media pushing out a false narrative involving incomplete facts at daily intervals, Israelis have begun to accept the Left’s talking points. Although Bibi Netanyahu is prohibited from speaking about specifics involving both cases, he released a statement over Facebook.
“In recent days, there has been an orchestrated media campaign, unprecedented in its scope, to bring down the Likud government under my leadership. This propaganda campaign is designed to pressure the Attorney General and other factors in the prosecution to indict me.
“The method is simple: Every day and every night carefully filtered transcripts and intentional lies are distributed on both issues on the agenda.
“Of course, as long as the investigation is ongoing, I cannot defend myself. I cannot tell the public the real story behind these things, which makes it clear that there was no crime here.
“Since I am prevented from going into the details of the investigation, I can say only the things that are visible and known to all: Everyone knows that I was firmly opposed to the Israel Hayom Law, which others concocted and initiated long before the 2013 election.
“For months I prevented the bringing of the law to a preliminary vote. When it did come to a vote, I voted against the law, along with a handful of Knesset members which included most of my fellow Likud members.
“It is also known that after the law was passed by a large majority, I dissolved the government and called for elections, partly because of the subversion within the government to pass the law. Everyone also knows that in the new government after the elections, I inserted an explicit clause in the coalition agreement to prevent the recurrence of such legislation.
“Because of all this – nothing happened. Israel Hayom remains intact, flourishing. While the bad media I got from Yediot Aharonot and Ynet did not stop even for a moment. So all these claims that I promoted the Israel Hayom Law are false claims. The same applies to the second issue, as will be made clear over time.”
In fact, Ron Yaron editor of Yediot Aharonot, supported Bibi’s assertion that the charges are ridiculous with the following statement reported by the Jerusalem Post:
“We all, as one, would leave and seek another home,” Yaron said. Yaron continued saying that the Yediot staff place their loyalties to the readers, “and only after that to those who pay our salaries.” Yaron also defended Mozes saying the publisher is “endlessly loyal to the readers of this paper, and to his life’s work that his father and grandfather established 77 years ago.”
The answer to that depends on an affirmative to each of the following points:
- Does the Attorney General’s want to throw the political system in turmoil over media driven allegations that maybe disproved in court?
- Does the general populace beleive the accusations are enough for another tiring election process
- Does Bibi lack the stamina to stand up to the Left’s unsatiated need to take him down
While the Left is pushing for new elections and some parties are already gearing up for spring time elections, most experts believe that the media and politicians are way out in front of the process by not paying attention to the above points.
The Left’s Campaign May Backfire
The Left’s only chance to regain the reigns of overt power in Israel is to smash Bibi’s control of the government. Yet, there is a gamble in this. If they are truly overreaching with this latest push against the Prime Minister then the public will forever punish them. Not only that, but the Right will have cart blanche to push forward with the Nationalist camp’s vision for a strong Israel as the sovereign through out all of the Jewish people’s homeland.
