A year and five days have passed since Benjamin Netanyahu won the elections. On November 1, 2022, elections were held for the Knesset. Almost two months passed before the current coalition and government were formed. A full-fledged right-wing government, including the most extreme and delusional right. Including those convicted in the past who became senior ministers.
Protest in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Caesarea, right-wing activists also came and demonstrated against those protesters// Yaron Doron
And even though it was "only" ten months in power, it seems that during those ten months Israeli society suffered unreasonable damage.
They began with the announcement of the legal reform, which brought hundreds of thousands to the streets and caused a decline in the army's competence and polarization among the people. Personal security was compromised and Arab society bled to death, friction between the Palestinian population and the settlers in Judea and Samaria, who were given the green light for what they wanted, claimed victims, and the economy took a hit. The stock market plummeted, interest rates and the dollar soared.
And on 7 October, the morning of Simchat Torah, the massacre of the residents of the envelope fell upon us, all of us. The perception of the government and its leader that Hamas is deterred, that a concrete wall and an electric fence are enough to keep us safe has collapsed. The trust that IDF soldiers will always come to our rescue has collapsed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, photo: Reuters
While our soldiers are fighting in Gaza and the people are trying to digest everything we have been through, there are growing voices demanding that the prime minister put down the keys and go home. Ostensibly, it would have been necessary for Netanyahu to show leadership, accept responsibility for what happened, and announce that after he leads the army to victory, he will go home. But only seemingly. Because Netanyahu's plans are completely different, and he cannot be expected to speak out against himself. It's not in his nature. Therefore, it is recommended to stop asking him to go.
Don't hold your breath
Since Netanyahu will not volunteer to lay his neck on the guillotine, all eyes are on a handful of Likud MKs who are expected to speak out against him. In this case, too, don't hold your breath. It's not clear why, but they are still afraid of him and the next Likud primaries.
From conversations with some of them, they believe that the right thing now is to sit quietly, do the best they can in their offices or positions in the Knesset, lower their heads and wait for the wave to pass. They told me: "Even if Netanyahu eventually goes, and he does, the Likud functionaries will settle accounts with those who came out against him, even though they also think he has finished his job. The fact is, he still has 19 seats in the polls, and there are still about 25 percent who think he is suitable to be prime minister."
Knesset plenum, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Therefore, all those who are counting on constructive no-confidence in the current Knesset, I suggest that they sober up. That won't happen. The more likely scenario is that the day after the war, in the hope that it will achieve its goals and assuming that Netanyahu does not resign voluntarily, millions will take to the streets and force him to return to Caesarea. The Kaplan Force must not lead them, but rather the residents of the envelope.
And yesterday it started small. Bereaved father Danny Kedem of Ein HaShlosha, who lost his daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and their grandmother in Nir Oz, sat down yesterday in front of the Prime Minister's residence on Gaza Street, calling for Netanyahu to release us from his presence. In a three-minute video, he says, among other things: "I blame Benjamin Netanyahu for the greatest disaster in the history of the state. My family's blood is on his hands. Come, join me."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us