Something really sad is going on when it comes to the Israeli public's relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For the past three months, the public has been consumed by the whirlwind of the judicial reform protests along with social strife that we have never seen before, but Netanyahu's presence – the leader, the responsible adult, and someone steady at the wheel – is almost non-existent.
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This cannot be simply explained away by the fact that he is legally barred from dealing with the reform as the attorney general ruled this would be a conflict of interest (due to his ongoing trial). The no-showing of Netanyahu is much deeper than that. In fact, in the past, he has proved that when he wants to overcome legal obstacles, he knows how to find his way to the media. But for whatever reason, throughout this crisis, his public appearances have been few and far between, and he has not spoken to main media outlets. He is almost unseen and unheard. This deafening silence sends the wrong message to the public: incompetence or even worse – lack of leadership.
Where is the Netanyahu who threw his weight everywhere he went during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic; where is the Netanyahu who dominates the public limelight with vigor and leadership on Iran? What we have seen so far is just a shadow of his former self.
Netanyahu has so far shown anything but all this during the judicial reform crisis, refusing to go to Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Simcha Rothman, thump on the table, and make it clear in no uncertain terms that it's time to strike a compromise (perhaps this is because he fears this will lead to his parliamentary coalition unraveling). He has even failed to strong arm Levin into pausing legislation for a week, as he has suggested in the past, possibly because he doesn't want the minister to resign.
But the big challenge he has yet to muster enough strength is with the attorney general, whose insistence that he has no legal way of dealing with this matter only reinforces the perception that legal advisors wield too much power. Why hasn't he stormed into her office and told her that although her opinions should be taken into account, this is an exception because there are some moments in a nation's history where national responsibility trumps potential conflict of interest and require him to take the reins; that he must lead rather than be led.
Netanyahu has been involved behind the scenes in pushing for a compromise, fearing the High Court and the attorney general, rather than just declaring for everyone to see, "I won't have it anymore; the situation is intolerable."
Over the course of his career, Netanyahu has thrown out the political playbook more than once, even when he didn't have to. But for some reason, precisely at the moment when the circumstances warrant a departure from protocol, he has refused to do so. Why?
Netanyahu has justifiably fought against the effort to declare him incapacitated and have him temporarily step down but for all intents and purposes, his conduct has been that of someone who is already been all but put in incapacitation, precisely when the public needs leadership and involvement – and most importantly, visible presence – on the part of the prime minister.
Netanyahu should be the one to handle the messaging on the reform, not Rothman or Levin. He should determine its pace, he should decide whether a compromise is in order and what it should look like. Netanyahu, not Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, should meet with IDF reservists to discuss their threat of refusing orders and should show cabinet members their proper place by preventing them from making inflammatory statements. But above all, he must communicate with the public, which wants to know where the prime minister has gone.
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