Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to become the Likud's chief strategist during the election campaign, as reported Thursday by Israel Hayom, elicited both praise and scorn from politicians across on both sides of the political divide.
According to the Israel Hayom report, during a staff meeting at Likud headquarters this week, the prime minister outlined his election campaign strategy and determined that there was no need to appoint an external person to the senior position of chief strategist.
Netanyahu further said that the campaign would comprise two parts. The first would stretch into February, when Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit is expected to announce his decision to summon Netanyahu for a pre-indictment hearing in the various corruption investigations he faces.
The second will cover the period between Mendelblit's announcement and when the polling stations open on April 9.
During the first phase Netanyahu will try to convince voters that announcing a pre-indictment hearing before an election is a non-story, because the actual hearing will take place after the election, and only then will a final decision be made on whether to file an indictment.
During the second phase, Netanyahu will try to turn the election into a vote of confidence in him and his leadership, and will accuse law enforcement of making a mountain out of a molehill. He will also say that a pre-indictment hearing was announced because of the immense pressure on Mendelblit, not because of the merits of the cases.
Environmental Protection and Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin said Netanyahu had made the right decision.
"I have worked with him on several campaigns, and I can credibly say that he is second to none in his strategic expertise," Elkin said. "He was the de facto chief strategist before, and he delivered time and again. He has won three elections in a row, and this will be the fourth."
Elkin said that those who are calling for Netanyahu to step down if he is indicted are either ignorant or misleading because "the law clearly states that the only way to unseat a prime minister is through the ballot box."
MK David Amsalem (Likud) told Israel Hayom: "Netanyahu is not just the Likud's chief strategist, he is Israel's chief strategist. There is no strategist better than Netanyahu when it comes to political messaging, and this is great for Likud."
Amsalem said that the allegations against Netanyahu don't merit an indictment. "In no other country would an indictment even be considered for such matters; people are trying to stage a coup in Israel with the help of the police and the State Attorney's Office. This will be studied by political science students in the future."
Netanyahu faces three corruption investigations. Case 1,000 centers on expensive gifts Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, allegedly received from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian tycoon James Packer.
Case 2,000 focuses on an alleged deal between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronot publisher Arnon (Noni) Mozes in which Yedioth would soften its aggressive anti-Netanyahu tone in return for the prime minister acting to curtail Yedioth rival Israel Hayom's activities to benefit Yedioth financially.
Case 4,000 revolves around allegations of a deal in which Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israeli telecom corporation Bezeq, ensured positive coverage for Netanyahu in the Bezeq-owned Walla news website in exchange for the prime minister promoting government regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the company.
Netanyahu's detractors criticized Netanyahu's decision on Thursday. Labor MK Nachman Shai (Labor) said: "The prime minister must deal above all with state affairs; his behavior only shows what we can expect to see once an indictment is filed … and regardless of whether this is the right decision for him politically, for Israel it is the wrong decision."
MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Labor) also attacked Netanyahu, saying that he is trying to "incite against the attorney general and against all other law-enforcement agencies." She said that "Likud had no political platform during the past two elections, and now Likud wants this election to be about a megalomaniac person."
A law enforcement official told Israel Hayom that Netanyahu's two-phased strategy "is dangerous if true."
The official said that "It's not surprising, because he wants to drag the State Attorney's Office into the political fray and therefore we are not going to comment."
