Hebrew News Paper: Netanyahu understood that his political ticket was Trump's return to the White House

By Naddaf Tamir

Israeli citizens and their voting trends are the least of Netanyahu's concerns currently. The Prime Minister has in mind one audience consisting of only 6 people: Ben Gvir [leader of a Jewish force]; Smotrich [leader of religious Zionism]; Deri [Shas party leader]; Ghafni [HaTorah Judaism]; Goldknoff [Agodat Yisrael Party]; And Donald Trump. He needs to have politicians in the coalition who allow him to continue holding his position, and for the winner of the US presidential elections in November to be kind to him.

Netanyahu understood that his position in the opinion polls had not changed fundamentally, and he also realized that he had no reason, or personal political interest, in holding elections, at a time when his term witnessed the greatest catastrophe in the history of the State of Israel, and therefore, the only card that was still up his sleeve. It is Trump's return to the White House, followed by the political rapprochement between the two emerging dictatorial rulers.

It is true that Netanyahu was somewhat late in congratulating Joe Biden on his election victory, but Bibi and Donald did not remain close friends as they were. Netanyahu realizes that in addition to preserving the coalition, he must prove to Trump his “repentance” and “return to the bosom of his old friend,” and this is a very dangerous matter for us...

Netanyahu watches the polls in the United States and the damage to Biden's standing as a result of the war. He sees and wants the war to continue because that means less political talk in Israel, less internal accountability, as well as less support in the United States for Biden, whose sincere concern for Israeli citizens led him to stand by our side, and now, he feels that he was stung by the scorpion, Netanyahu. But the danger lies not only in the continuation of the fighting, but also in the delay in the arrival of US aid amounting to about 14 billion dollars, which the US administration no longer wants to continue defending in Congress, which is obstructing it for its own reasons.

Netanyahu is interested in ambiguity and procrastination, which, even if they alienate voters from him, bring Ben Gvir and Smotrich closer together, who do not want to leave Gaza, nor do they want a plan for Palestinian civilian control in the Strip. For them, what would happen if soldiers continued to be killed without a clear purpose for fighting, what if the kidnapped remained in captivity, and what if the Israeli economy, in need of oxygen, remained without the promised American billions? What is important is that the partners in Israel, and those we are courting in the United States, are satisfied. 

For us as Israeli citizens, the lesson is that elections in the United States are not only about the future of the American people, but also about our future. We must understand that we will soon witness the US administration moving away from the Netanyahu government. We must understand and accept that this is the only way through which Biden will try to win back voters who are wary of unequivocal American support for Israel, and now, in the face of Netanyahu’s coldness, he no longer has a reason to continue this support.

We must remember that if Biden does not reach the White House, it is reasonable that we will not have democracy because Netanyahu will feel strong, and will return to pushing forward the judicial coup, whether through enacting laws, or through steps on the ground, and he can get encouragement from a supporter of dictatorship if he reaches the White House. 

We will remain with the shock of October 7, and with a state that has nothing to do with the Zionist vision of the democratic national state for the Jewish people.