Victory On the eve of the victory of the bloc of right-wing ultra-Orthodox parties in the elections, on November 2, opposition leader Netanyahu declared at the Likud headquarters in the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, "We are on the verge of a very big victory."
The Incapacitation Law Approved in First Reading // Knesset Channel
The event that worries Netanyahu most is not the High Court of Justice against the Reasonableness Law or the one against the convening of the Judicial Selection Committee, but the one that will determine his political future: the hearing of the petition against the Incapacitation Law
Despite the samples, he was cautious, but he had already laid out his vision for the upcoming national government, with the crowd shouting "governance" at him, with rhythmic chants: security, political wisdom, lowering the cost of living and restoring national pride. The ostensible path was clear, the partners too, logic ensured that within a week a homogeneous and broad government would be established here. That it will be able to carry out its promises without dwelling on exercises from the opposition.
But like victory, so is the crash. The partners demanded lists of demands over dozens of pages. Netanyahu and Yariv Levin, who conducted the negotiations, pressed with their backs to the wall and in the end, after weeks of negotiations smeared on the newspapers, gave a blank check to whims.
"Netanyahu and Yariv Levin pressed with their backs to the wall and gave a blank check to whims,"
The public has already begun to move uncomfortably on the couch at home, not those who voted for the opposition parties, they were not happy with the results anyway, but the right-wing voters. But that was just the beginning, it turns out. Justice Minister Yariv Levin thumbly put the legal reform plan on the table and set in motion the protest.
Currently incapacitated, only after a long nine-month round and what looks like a loss of control, Netanyahu seems to be holding the helm of the government he formed for the first time. Netanyahu's people are working behind the scenes hand in hand with the president's residence to formulate a compromise, or in other words, removing the legal reform from Israel's agenda for a long time.
In the Likud, we hear from Netanyahu himself that the event that worries him most is not the High Court of Justice against the Reasonableness Law or the one against the convening of the Judicial Selection Committee, but the one that will determine his political future: the hearing on the petition against the Incapacitation Law (Amendment to Basic Law: The Government) on September 28. "Don't say the judges won't intervene," Netanyahu told Likud members he is currently talking to. "On the contrary! Warn of what's to come."
"The judges may pave Netanyahu's path to incapacitation." High Court hearingPhoto: Oren Ben Hakon, Photo: OrenJonathan Zindel/Flash90
Netanyahu fears that his supporters do not understand the magnitude of the disaster before him: as far as he is concerned, in two weeks the justices may pave the way for his incapacitation and end his term as prime minister in particular and his political future in general. That is why reform is taken off the table. He will do it with Gantz and with or without broad support.
Senior government officials say the effect may be different, but Netanyahu hopes that in the face of the High Court hearing, his decision and announcement on the matter will suffice and take off the table the weapon of annulment that the justices may take into their hands.
Looking Ahead The consolidation evening held this week in Jerusalem was marked by "Tchelet Shana and its curses." Judging by the smile on Netanyahu's face that evening, those who equipped Guy Hochman with punches were also his people: the hint to Gallant ("Oh, isn't he here? He must be on the eve of the opposition"), the message to Levin ("Let him pass the salt to me, because he will no longer pass the reform"), as well as the reminder of Ben-Gvir's past that he has no political future outside this government ("Netanyahu was prime minister even before Ben-Gvir took over a symbol"), and also a little at the prime minister's expense ("Drink so you don't dry up" and "What about the pacemaker?").
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As far as Netanyahu is concerned, in two weeks the justices may pave the way for his incapacitation and end his term as prime minister in one fell swoop
Netanyahu, according to senior Likud officials, decided to stick to his 64 and hold them tight after realizing that there would be no movement on Gantz's part toward a unity government. Despite the frequent crises, including the one revealed this week, Netanyahu is signaling to his partners that he is willing to do whatever it takes to hold on to the government in its current format.
In the new year, and in the coming months in particular, Netanyahu will have to fulfill what he promised back then in that victory speech: security, governance, lowering the cost of living and political wisdom. The quiet he hopes to achieve by taking the reform off the table and securing his future will allow him (according to the new plan) to act on a variety of fronts: promoting normalization with Saudi Arabia, restoring security within Israel and its borders, and organizing a strategy vis-à-vis Iran, which with increasing self-confidence makes the threat to Israel existential.
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