Netanyahu's Next Act

Last Sunday, progressives in Israel and beyond rejoiced as Benjamin Netanyahu was replaced as prime minister, a position he’d held for 12 consecutive years. But if Bibi’s opponents want this change to be more than momentary, they would be wise to temper their celebrations. Israel’s perennial premier isn’t going anywhere—and not just because he won’t be vacating the prime minister’s residence until early July. Far from fading away, he has a multi-pronged plan to reclaim his role atop the Israeli political pyramid, and has already begun to execute it.

A revealing exchange was captured on film the day Netanyahu was officially ousted. As the former prime minister traversed the parliament with his entourage, he was accosted by a reporter who asked, “Will there be an orderly transfer of power?” In a rare loss of public composure, Netanyahu sarcastically snapped, “No, there will be a ‘revolution’!” He then paused and added: “What idiotic questions.” You don’t have to understand Hebrew to get the gist:

The fact that Netanyahu ultimately gave way to his opponents, however begrudgingly, puzzled those who expected him to evoke his own January 6 moment. But this misunderstands Israel’s longest-serving leader entirely. Netanyahu doesn’t want to destroy the country. He intends to rule it. This is the difference between Donald Trump, a narcissistic man-child who cares about no one but himself, and Netanyahu, a right-wing populist—and it’s why the latter has long been a much more formidable politician. The contrast is obvious when one compares how Trump handled the coronavirus (initially denying it outright and later undermining public health measures) as opposed to how Netanyahu did (personally filming ads encouraging masks, distancing, and vaccination, culminating in Israel’s world-beating reopening).

Unlike Trump, an incompetent and capricious con man, Netanyahu—like many other conservative nationalists—has a plan and a vision for his country’s success. He sees his current exile not as his end, but as a temporary setback that he will soon overcome. There’s no need to bring down the system, in other words, when you intend to run it again. Netanyahu remains Israel’s opposition leader, waiting in the wings to resume office should the current government fall.

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/benjamin-netanyahu-not-going-anywhere