{"id":80914,"date":"2020-09-11T17:05:20","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T15:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=80914"},"modified":"2020-09-11T06:29:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T04:29:56","slug":"18-00-48","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=80914","title":{"rendered":"The Netanyahu-Gantz government is a failure."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>The Netanyahu-Gantz government is a failure, pure and simple \u2013 opinion<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

YAAKOV KATZ<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Every decision Netanyahu makes is tainted and motivated by what is good for him personally, and not for the country.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Did they ever get along?<\/em><\/span>
\n(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It is time to admit that it is simply not working. This government is a failure. It is that simple. There is no other way to say it. Every decision is politicized; everything is made into a game.<\/span><\/p>\n

If peoples\u2019 lives were not on the line, we might be able to ignore what is happening; to push it away and pretend that everything is okay. But with Israel\u2019s infection rate staggering \u2013 on Thursday it climbed to nearly 4,000 infections in one day \u2013 this has got to stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, this government needs to go home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set up to fight the coronavirus, this government has done nothing. Instead, it has fought against itself from its inception.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the writing was on the wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benjamin Netanyahu is in the middle of a criminal trial, facing a lengthy jail sentence if convicted of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and the only true priority he has right now is fighting for his innocence \u2013 at all costs. Everything else is not important.<\/span><\/p>\n

In November when the prime minister was indicted, I wrote: \u201cAs talented as Netanyahu is, he can\u2019t go to court in the morning and fight for his freedom, and then come back to the office in the afternoon to convene the security cabinet and approve airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria. The prime minister will be distracted, unfocused and unable to properly execute his duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, any move a prime minister makes in such a position would be viewed suspiciously: was it done to sway public opinion? Nothing will be looked at purely. Everything will be tainted\u2026 Staying in office, as Netanyahu indicated he will do, will eat away at Israel\u2019s moral character from the inside. Is this the type of leadership we want at the helm of our nation?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterward I came under fire from Netanyahu supporters, who falsely claimed that the prime minister could manage both the country and his trial \u2013 and anyhow, Israeli law allows him to remain in office even under indictment.<\/span>
\nThey were wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

SINCE THE beginning of this health crisis seven months ago, we\u2019ve seen that every decision Netanyahu makes is tainted and motivated by what is good for him personally, and not for the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t even have to go that far back to BC \u2013 before corona. Just look at last month\u2019s fight over the budget. The leader of the government had originally signed the coalition agreement saying he would pass a two-year budget. But when the deadline neared, he balked, claiming that he would only agree if Blue and White relinquished its veto right over the appointment of a new police chief, attorney-general and state prosecutor. Gantz refused and Netanyahu refused, leaving the country without a budget in one of, if not the worst economic crises it has ever known.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there was the fiasco over the lockdown of Israel\u2019s \u201cred\u201d cities. The cabinet decided last Thursday to impose a closure on some 30 cities \u2013 mostly Arab and haredi (ultra-Orthodox) \u2013 where the infection numbers remain out of control. The decision was supposed to go into effect on Monday evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

But just hours before that, Netanyahu came under pressure from his last loyal veteran coalition partners \u2013 the haredi parties. They made it clear that if he locks down their cities \u2013 as if it was being done for a personal vendetta \u2013 Netanyahu will pay a political price.<\/span><\/p>\n

Netanyahu surrendered, and suddenly a lockdown became a curfew, and a curfew became some random and confusing restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when massive weddings were then held in haredi and Arab communities on Tuesday night without adhering to restrictions, should anyone really have been surprised?<\/span><\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the first time that the government flip-flopped on decisions impacting the entire nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

UMAN IS another example. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told The Jerusalem Post this week that he was specifically asked by Israel weeks ago to restrict access to the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov for Rosh Hashanah.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was supposed to happen, until the haredim again threatened Netanyahu. Suddenly, when he saw his coalition crumbling, it was no longer a public health risk for thousands of hassidim to go to Ukraine \u2013 a risk coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu specifically said Israel could not allow.<\/span>
\nThe education system for over two million students is yet a fourth example. At 11 p.m. on Monday night, nine hours before the opening bell, the government changed its mind and closed schools in red cities. Kids who had gone to sleep excited about going back to school after their first summer of corona woke up to the disappointing news that they were staying home once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

But who cares, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there is the infighting within the government, which we witnessed this week with an unprecedented assault against the police, the prosecutors and the courts by Netanyahu and his fellow Likud members. One of them, an extreme MK by the name of Shlomo Kari, threatened to take a D9 bulldozer and raze the Justice Ministry building if the attorney-general dared change his mind and rule that Netanyahu has to recuse himself from the premiership.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, Benny Gantz \u2013 the leader of Blue and White who still walks around with the title of alternate prime minister \u2013 put out a video saying that his party will not allow the attacks against the justice system to succeed. \u201cStand tall,\u201d he told them. \u201cWe will protect you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is Israel in 2020: one prime minister attacks and the other defends.<\/span>
\nAND THEN there is the signing ceremony in Washington next week of the UAE deal, a historic milestone for Israel marking the establishment of normalized ties with a powerful Gulf state.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in what world does Netanyahu think that it makes sense for him to fly for four days to the US? That it makes sense for him to leave the country when there are 4,000 new infections every day and we are facing a month-long lockdown?<\/span><\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t just any four days either. Next Friday night is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of the most festive holidays on the Jewish calendar. With Netanyahu in Washington, there is little chance that any decision will be made on a lockdown or restrictions for the holiday \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t want declaring those restrictions to overshadow his celebratory photo-op at the White House.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what will happen? Judging by the dysfunctionality of this government until now, when Netanyahu lands back in Israel on Wednesday afternoon, he\u2019ll start holding meetings, and by Friday morning, if we are lucky, we will find out what we are allowed to do over the holiday \u2013 which starts that evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two other points to keep in mind regarding that UAE signing ceremony. First, the deal will be signed on Tuesday morning. That means that Netanyahu can theoretically leave Israel on Monday night, fly directly to Washington, and fly back to Israel on Tuesday night arriving on Wednesday afternoon. This would give him Sunday and Monday to work on what is more important right now for Israel: saving Israeli lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the actual signing: Netanyahu will represent Israel, but the UAE will be represented by its foreign minister, Abdullah Bin Zayed. Why Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed is not coming is a mystery itself, but if the foreign minister is signing on behalf of the UAE, then according to diplomatic protocol \u2013 as explained to me by a few ex-diplomats who know a thing or two about signing protocols \u2013 the foreign minister should sign on Israel\u2019s behalf as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is routinely done, by the way, when foreign ministers sign and heads of state stand behind them. But not in Israel, where Netanyahu is the prime minister and Gabi Ashkenazi is the foreign minister. Does anyone think that Netanyahu is going to share the picture of the historic signing with one of his political rivals? Of course not.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Netanyahu doesn\u2019t care, and Gantz doesn\u2019t seem to care that much either \u2013 or is too weak to do anything about it. On Sunday, when Netanyahu\u2019s fight with the haredim became clear, Gantz paid a trip to Bnai Brak, something he hadn\u2019t done since taking office in May. Until now, Gantz\u2019s influence over the decision making when it comes to COVID-19 has been limited at best and mostly non-existent.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this week he suddenly came alive, visiting haredi cities, hospitals and more. Is it because of the growing number of infections? Is it because Israel crossed 1,000 deaths? Whom are we kidding? It is for one reason and one reason only: Netanyahu is getting blamed for the failures, so Gantz sees a political opportunity to step up and fill the void.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nice try \u2013 but it\u2019s too late. Gantz will have to do a lot more than simply visit corona-stricken towns and hospitals to regain the public\u2019s trust, just like Netanyahu will have to do a lot more than just cut short his trip to DC for us to believe that he cares about the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel is in an unprecedented crisis, and this government is not functioning. It is time for it to go home.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Netanyahu-Gantz government is a failure, pure and simple \u2013 opinion YAAKOV KATZ Every decision Netanyahu makes is tainted and motivated by what is good for him personally, and not for the country. Did they ever get along? (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST) It is time to admit that it is simply not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80914"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80933,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80914\/revisions\/80933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}