We have many problems. But Trump’s buddy Netanyahu is making a power grab that is turning Israel into an ungovernable country:
In the end, it took only four days to settle a matter that has hovered over Israel for years: How far would Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu go to keep his hold on power?
His answer: Into the void.
In a staggering maelstrom of events that began with an attempted putsch against the judiciary and ended with 45 citizens crushed to death, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister showed his people exactly what life under a desperate and untethered leader looks like.
In less than a week, Netanyahu has twice attempted to subvert the rule of law to his advantage and pivoted, at the speed of light, to deflect responsibility for the nation’s worst civilian disaster — the fatal stampede at a Galilean religious pilgrimage in which 100,000 worshipers gathered, with no permit but with the permission of Netanyahu’s government, in a spot the size of a small park.
Israel has been without a functional government for more than two years. During this time, the country was dragged through four general election campaigns in which Netanyahu failed to win enough votes to form a stable governing coalition — but succeeded in preventing anyone else from doing so each time.
Stuck in political purgatory, Israel has no budget, and it’s at risk of losing its international credit ratings. The Knesset is not operational, with the prime minister’s allies scrambling to reshape every rule and motion into a parachute that will save his political life. And the cabinet is incapacitated.
The crux of the problem for Netanyahu is that he is on trial, accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. On April 5, the first day of witness testimony, Netanyahu slammed Israel’s judiciary, calling the proceedings “an abuse of the destructive power held by the prosecution.”
“This is what the illegitimate use of power looks like,” the prime minister thundered. “This is how you try to topple a strong right-wing prime minister! This is what an attempted coup looks like!”
But it is Netanyahu who seeks to perpetrate a coup — even as he has effectively given up on governing.
The will to power is profound and in Netanyahu’s case it’s also a matter of personal survival.
I think we all know what a central role Israel plays in world events, for better or worse. This is not good.
Read on if you can. The details are astonishing.