All of us knew that eventually Netanyahu would be indicted. Netanyahu has a brilliant mind and he knew how to make the most of his status as prime minister (He is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel as well as the wealthiest) for his own creature comforts and that of his wife, Sarah, and his sons. He also tried to manipulate Noni Mozes, editor of Yediot Ahranot for positive press coverage and making the reader pay for Sheldon Adelson’s pro-Netanyahu freebie daily Yisrael HaYom resulting in its readership to drop.
Bibi had the knack for cultivating friendships with tycoons, not so much for friendships but for his own personal gain, whether financial or political.
A recent poll by the Israeli website The Times of Israel predicted that Mr Netanyahu's Likud would lose four parliamentary seats if the prime minister was indicted, while Mr Gantz's coalition, known as the Blue and White Party, could gain enough seats to take the premiership 2.
Israel's attorney general has announced his intention to indict the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in three corruption cases 3.
According to the various case indictments (Case 1000, 2000 and 4000), it appears that he was involved in gaining control of the press so that he would be portrayed in a very positive light thus ensuring that his rule would remain indefinite with the support of the masses. As for case 1000, this could be referred to as his creature comfort case with expensive cigars and loads of pink champaign, which the attorney-general viewed as a breach of trust and fraud case. Case 4000 is the most serious of the lot where he was indicted for corruption 1.
His methods of achieving this were based on fear-mongering. He delegitimized the Arab Parties by saying that they wish to destroy Israel and that the left relies on their support to prevent a right-wing coalition from being formed after the election by forming a left-wing bloc.
A leader of a country who has been elected by the voters of that country and lies to the public has no respect for the citizens of the country that voted him/her into power. He only has respect for himself. This is the impression we get from PM Netanyahu. He has been prime minister for close on 13 years if we take his first term into consideration. He uses Israel as one of his possessions and that of his immediate family.
He is behaving like a cornered rat. Cornered rats are known to be vicious and bite in all directions. He tried a gamble that did not pay-off. He knew that the Sword of Damocles was hanging over his head about an upcoming indictment against him so he brought the General Elections forward in order to stymy the receiving of the indictment against him.
By Netanyahu's behaviour, he has crossed the Rubicon so much so that he has been served an indictment by the AG and his status has changed from being an innocent, law-abiding leader to a criminal suspect. Now that he has this new status, he blames everybody but himself for his created predicament. He views himself as a victim of a national witch-hunt orchestrated by the left, the media, the courts and the police, even the AG, who he had appointed, the ex-Police Commissioner, Ronnie Alsheich (also one of his appointees). So where does the left come into the picture? All is a figment of his paranoiac imagination. He is behaving like a cornered rat. He knew that the Sword of Damocles was hanging over his head about an upcoming indictment against him so he brought the General Elections forward in order to stymy the receiving of the indictment against him. This would allow him time to win the elections and hopefully receive a majority in the Knesset to pass a law – an Israeli version of the French Law to grant immunity from receiving an indictment and that charges against him would be dropped. He also used this harangue of his to rabble rouse his supporters in voting for him. General Elections were due to be held sometime in November 2019. If he would have waited until then, the indictment would have been served months before the scheduled election date.
References:
- Netanyahu charges: Is Israel PM in more trouble now than ever before?
- 28 Feb. 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/28/benjamin-netanyahu-indicted-corruption-charges-israeli-attorney/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2019.
- 28 Feb. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/28/benjamin-netanyahu-corruption-charges-decision-expected-today. Accessed 2 Mar. 2019.
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