There are three takeaways from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Monday. The first – Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will remain on the job, clearing the doubts over whether this was final. The second – he was warning President Bashar Assad that Syria will pay a price if it continues to serve as the host for attacks against Israel. The third – despite the Nov. 1 election is over, the campaign continues full throttle.
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Keeping Gallant is good news for Israel's security establishment and will help assuage the concerns of the IDF and other security agencies. It will also send the message of stability when it comes to the ministry and its chief, allow continuity in the decision-making process that would produce reasoned and sensible decisions, and most importantly, contribute to the overall Israeli effort to avoid a wide-scale conflagration in the region
The warning to Assad was nothing more than picking on the least popular kid on the block. According to foreign reports, Israel has been attacking Syria for over a decade and has so far carried out thousands of attacks of all kinds. Netanyahu's warning provided nothing new; not even his public acknowledgment of Israel's attacks in recent days. If he wanted to raise the stakes, he could have issued a threat against Hezbollah Chairman Hassan Nasrallah (although he was smart in choosing to avoid this, as it could have come off as nothing more than hollow rhetoric and an unnecessary provocation). Netanyahu knows that in the Middle East, one has to go by the old Western adage "If you want to shoot – shoot, don't talk."
The third takeaway is what Netanyahu really wanted to emphasize in his speech. It included a whole host of accusations against the previous two governments run by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett; the IDF reservists who threatened not to show up; and the enemy. It lacked almost any mention of his own personal responsibility to the unfolding reality under his watch.
Netanyahu put on a show, perhaps because of the unflattering polls he saw in recent days projecting dismal results for Likud. But while he can attack everyone all he wants, he cannot undo the fact that the worsening situation on all fronts has been a consequence of the judicial reform he has been spearheading and the irresponsible conduct of various officeholders in his government. The result has been a terrible outcome in every possible aspect: from diplomacy to security; from social aspects to the economy.
You can attack Netanyahu for his credibility – such as his ridiculous claim that his son is not involved in state affairs – but you can also look at the positive side of what he said. Polls show that the public wants Benny Gantz not just because of who he is, but also because it wants some unity that would let us all lead the normal life we had several months ago. Netanyahu has picked up this sentiment and now it remains to be seen what he is going to do. This decision is what will ultimately shape our reality in the near term, as well as the Middle East's.
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