Netanyahu
Deserves the Israeli People, and
They Deserve Him
By Gideon Levy
March 18, 2015 "ICH"
- "Haaretz"
- The first conclusion that
arose just minutes after the
announcement of the exit polls
was particularly discouraging:
The nation must be replaced. Not
another election for the
country's leadership, but
general elections to choose a
new Israeli people –
immediately. The country
urgently needs that. It won’t be
able to stand another term for
Benjamin Netanyahu, who emerged
last night as the man who will
form the next government.
If after six
years of nothing, if after six
years of sowing fear and
anxiety, hatred and despair,
this is the nation's choice,
then it is very ill indeed. If
after everything that has been
revealed in recent months, if
after everything that has been
written and said, if after all
this, the Israeli phoenix
succeeded in rising from the
ashes and getting reelected, if
after all this the Israeli
people chose him to lead for
another four years, something is
truly broken, possibly beyond
repair.
Netanyahu
deserves the Israeli people and
they deserve him. The results
are indicative of the direction
the country is headed: A
significant proportion of
Israelis has finally grown
detached from reality. This is
the result of years' worth of
brainwashing and incitement.
These Israelis voted for the man
who will lead the United States
to adopt harsh measures against
Israel, for the man whom the
world long ago grew sick of.
They voted for the man who
admitted to having duped half
the world during his Bar-Ilan
speech; now he has torn off his
mask and disavowed those words
once and for all. Israel said
"yes" to the man who said "no"
to a Palestinian state. Dear
Likud voters, what the hell do
you say "yes" to? Another 50
years of occupation and
ostracism? Do you really believe
in that?
On Tuesday the
foundations were laid for the
apartheid state that is to come.
If Netanyahu succeeds in forming
the next government in his
spirit and image, then the
two-state solution will finally
be buried and the struggle over
the character of a binational
state will begin. If Netanyahu
is the next prime minister, then
Israel has not only divorced the
peace process, but also the
world. Piss off, dear world,
we're on our own. Please don't
interfere, we're asleep, the
people are with Netanyahu. The
Palestinians can warm the
benches at the International
Criminal Court at The Hague, the
Israel boycotters can swing into
high gear and Gaza can wait for
the next cruel attack by the
Israeli army.
The battle for
all these has yet to be
officially decided. The next
prime minister will be crowned
by Moshe Kahlon and the heads of
other small parties. At the time
of this writing, Kahlon has yet
to declare his intention. The
ball is in these parties' court;
they will decide if Netanyahu
continues. Most of them despise
him, but it's doubtful whether
they will have the courage to
turn their backs on the public.
That will be their test. That
will be the test of their
courage and integrity. Moshe
Kahlon and Aryeh Dery, do you
truly believe Netanyahu is
better than Isaac Herzog for the
society and social welfare you
purport to care for? Does the
country's decent and courageous
president, Reuven Rivlin,
believe Netanyahu will be a
better prime minister than
Herzog? There is a lot resting
on his shoulders now – but the
fact that a figure like
Netanyahu and a party like Likud
succeeded in maintaining power
as the country's leading faction
already says a great deal.
Netanyahu is
threatening to surpass David
Ben-Gurion as Israel's longest
running leader. He is already in
second place, and yet it's hard
to think of one significant
achievement on his part. The
list of damage he has done is
long. But he is the nation's, or
much of the nation's, chosen
one. That choice must be
respected, even if it makes it
difficult to hope for a good
outcome. The only consolation is
that another Netanyahu term will
prompt the world to act. That
possibility is our only refuge.