The presence of Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Netanyahu government is untenable and outrageous on several levels, causing the State of Israel considerable political and diplomatic damage and isolating it on the international stage. The recent release of a video humiliating European activists from the Gaza Flotilla is beyond comprehension.
Netanyahu's reaction was timid and incomprehensible, especially since his government is nearing the end of its term and parliamentary elections are scheduled soon. How can a modern, democratic country accept a provocative minister, a born brawler, who has been indicted multiple times and charged with inciting hatred and complicity in terrorism? He is someone who utterly disregards government laws and has been arrested numerous times during his provocative visits to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Incredibly, the man who played cat and mouse with the police has been Israel's top cop since 2022, holding the sensitive portfolio of National Security. Netanyahu made a grave mistake in granting Ben Gvir ministerial power he hardly deserves. This baffling appointment has sparked widespread outrage both domestically and internationally. Since his appointment, settling of scores and indiscriminate killings have increased significantly among organized crime families within the Arab minority.
Ben-Gvir's behavior invariably triggers a global media storm and a cascade of condemnations, including legal ones, against Israeli officers, soldiers, and police officers who risk their lives to defend innocent Israeli citizens. Even worse, he encourages his militants to carry out attacks against the Palestinian population and, conversely, to commit anti-Semitic acts around the world.
Ben Gvir's latest spectacle is intolerable to the majority of Israelis, the political class, Jews in the diaspora, and all those who advocate for Israel abroad. It's not simply "the way Ben Gvir treated the flotilla activists that is not in accordance with Israel's values and norms," as Netanyahu claims. It's primarily the lack of leadership and control displayed by all the ministers, without exception. In this affair, as in previous ones, Netanyahu is shirking his responsibilities, protecting his coalition at all costs, and acting like a politician, not a statesman.
And yet, he is the son of a famous historian. He has fought throughout his career to improve the image of the State of Israel. A natural orator, ambassador to the UN at 35 and still Prime Minister today, how can he ignore the disastrous consequences caused by the bad reputation of some of his ministers and members of parliament?
Why does he no longer respect the tireless work of Israeli diplomats, those on the front lines abroad defending Israel's cause against all odds? How can he not dismiss a rebellious minister, a systematic saboteur of diplomatic efforts? Why not appreciate and encourage all those who engage in genuine Hasbara, who inform the public with facts and figures about the realities of Israel? Who not only present the political causes of the Israeli-Arab conflict, but also highlight the various positive aspects of the country, ignored by the general public, especially by a youth that shuns history and geography and is content with empty messages and brainwashing on social media?
The aim is to tell the story of how the Israeli people achieved miracles in all areas despite wars and daily threats. How they managed to make the desert bloom and build a strong, modern country without any natural resources, without any oil wells.
The important thing is to present the State, as Jewish and democratic, as it is, with its advantages and its defects, and not to respond to criticism with speeches and propaganda works and ignoble and hateful campaigns as our unscrupulous enemies and detractors do.
Netanyahu is undoubtedly aware of the current situation and the challenges ahead. He still believes he is the only one capable of meeting them, leaving his mark, and securing an honorable place in the country's history.
One can certainly have doubts and be skeptical, as his behavior in recent years has been neither dignified nor up to expectations. Since his indictment, Netanyahu has failed to improve human relations and his conduct with his opponents.
Power is undoubtedly the ultimate aphrodisiac, but Netanyahu chose to divide and rule. He immediately sidelined potential successors, friends, and his own supporters. He allowed extremists to engage in heated debates and dangerous verbal violence. Furthermore, he failed to keep several promises, and some decisions were made after misjudging the potential scenarios and risks.
And yet, he possessed all the qualities, the strengths, and the opportunities to change the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. What a dramatic waste.
