Israeli writer Gideon Levy said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents do not have the ability to criticize him because they simply do not differ from him, so they focus their arrows on his lifestyle instead of directing them at one issue, which is his ideology.

In an article in Haaretz titled "Netanyahu's opponents do not have the ability to criticize him, they know they do not differ from him," Levy wrote that Netanyahu's opponents claim that he is merely an opportunist who is not driven by any ideology other than the desire to remain in power and an insatiable hunger for power.

Levy added that there are those who believe otherwise, such as Aluf Benn, editor-in-chief of Haaretz, who believes that his goal is not necessarily to remain in power, but rather may be something much bigger, which is the permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip, and he is prepared to pay a heavy price for that, which includes abandoning the prisoners to their fate and igniting the fuse of a regional war, according to him.

According to Levy, the failure of Netanyahu’s opponents to realize this goal shows how shallow their ideology is. Instead of criticizing his worldview, they prefer to focus on his abhorrent lifestyle because it is easier. Even when it comes to the October 7 failure, it is easy to criticize him because of his ultimate responsibility (as prime minister). As for his ideology, they refrain from criticizing it because they know full well that they and Netanyahu are the same. They do not have a plan of action to get Israel out of the abyss it has fallen into. The Israeli writer believes that none of the candidates to succeed Netanyahu, from Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, all the way to Avigdor Lieberman, Gideon Sa'ar, Yossi Cohen, and Yair Golan, want to release all Palestinian prisoners, withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip, end the war, and return to the 1967 borders.

Levy justified this by saying that they refrain from attacking Netanyahu's plans that have made Israel guilty of committing war crimes and turned it into a state with dysfunctional institutions resembling a third world country, which is a matter of despair that is only comparable to the helplessness of his critics who make noise without coming up with anything different.

Loyal to his ideology

The Israeli writer said that Netanyahu's ideology is more dangerous than his corruption and arrogant lifestyle, and contrary to what his opponents claim, he has adhered to it over time and has never believed in a political solution or a peace agreement with the Palestinians, but rather believed exclusively in the sword and remained loyal to this principle and succeeded in his endeavor after eliminating the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state and preventing any dialogue for other solutions. The occupation of the Gaza Strip and the effort to perpetuate it came to add another level to his plan seeking to solve the Palestinian crisis exclusively through war.

Levy concluded that Netanyahu's opponents should have focused their arrows on his worldview, as it is what plants the seeds of Israel's destruction, not his lifestyle, whether it is related to his private plane or the contempt he receives from those who work in his residence.

He said that his effort to perpetuate the apartheid system is the danger that lurks in Israel and that no leader of any Zionist party can criticize him, from Itamar Ben Gvir to Yair Golan, because everyone agrees with him, and this is the source of real despair.

Source: Haaretz