On May 18, 1965, Israel's "man in Damascus" Eli Cohen was executed. For years, Israel tried to bring back his remains for burial. Thus far, all diplomatic attempts have failed. Now it turns out that all that was needed was another election.
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In each of the recent elections, they told us the same story – Netanyahu is in another league. No one even comes close to him on diplomatic relations and world prestige. Who do you ultimately want to see standing up to Iran – Bibi, or Avi Gabbay/Yair Lapid?
Look at Netanyahu giving a speech to the US Congress. And look at him there, joking with Trump, what a brave friendship. And again, under Trump, the US Embassy moves to Jerusalem. And England, what an England, and Modi in India, and the entire world is calling him, and not only have we secured the Temple Mount – we have the entire world.
And it worked. Ultimately, we are a small nation surrounded by enemies and the only one who has the ability and knowledge and talent to represent us well and protect our interests against the growing anti-Semitism is the current prime minister. Thanks to him, Israel is an oasis of stability to which everyone is turning their eyes. Under his leadership, we are a light unto the nations, and he is the strongest spotlight on the stage.
But somewhere between the third and fourth elections, something happened: former US President Trump lost, and Biden won. The transition of power in the US is the biggest blow to the Likud's campaign. Netanyahu had bet the table on the guy who lost, and the current president and the rest of the Democratic Party understand where Netanyahu's heart is. There is a reason he waited so long for a phone call from Biden.
Now it's clear that Netanyahu won't have a winning picture with the US president that he can spread across a building at the entrance to Jerusalem. And as if that weren't bad enough, there is also the failed handling of the COVID crisis. If during the first lockdown Israel was considered a safe place that was handling the situation the best way possible, it is now obvious that when it comes to the pandemic, we aren't exactly a role model. If the start of the vaccination campaign looked like a dizzying success, the airport policy fiasco wiped it out. So now he has to find a picture of victory, something that will shore up the belief that "there's no one like Bibi."
The only person who can help create a picture like that is Russian President Vladimir Putin. He already did so with the story of Na'ama Issachar, an Israeli arrested in Moscow for possession of cannabis, who returned home as triumphantly as if she were an Olympic medalist who had become a prisoner of Zion. We paid Russia a ransom. If Russia helps return the body of Eli Cohen, we will pay again, and no one will ever know what or how much.
But a picture of the prime minister alongside the coffin of an Israeli hero and a state funeral two days before the election will be a winning picture, and Netanyahu needs them now, more than ever.
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