Even if they were invited now, it does not seem like any foreign head of state would want to travel here. The feeling in Israel this week is one of anarchy and as if there is no one in charge of the country.
This reminds of January 23, 2020, more than 50 heads of state and members of royal families traveled to Jerusalem to mark a momentous occasion – the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Vice-president Mike Pence, Prince (at the time) Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, King of Spain Felipe VI, and many more were all there. It was recognition of the victory over the Nazis and the tremendous accomplishment the Jewish people, in general, and the State of Israel more specifically have seen in the years since.
There are the weekly protests (and sometimes more) that are bringing hundreds of thousands of Israelis out to the streets screaming against what they perceive as the end of democracy; there are the images from the Knesset of MKs jumping on tables and being pulled by ushers out of committee rooms; there are the terrorist attacks that have claimed the lives of 14 Israelis in just one month; the settler pogrom in Huwara; the weakening of the shekel; the hike in the interest rate; the tech executives who are pulling money out of Israel, and more.
After the tragic murder of Hillel and Yagel Yaniv in Huwara, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich used the phrase “the landlord has gone crazy,” an expression meaning that it is time to show the Palestinians that there would be an escalated IDF response. Well, it seems that the owner has gone crazy and the country with it.
The questions are, what has happened to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Where is he? Why is his presence not being felt? Why is his voice barely being heard?
A look at the 51 front pages in the recent two month shows Netanyahu only about 12 times on the front page.
This is in comparison to previous periods when he served as prime minister and he seemed to be everywhere. He was speaking at public events, conferences, doing media interviews, traveling the globe and hosting world leaders in Jerusalem. Every statement was setting the national agenda – whether about Iran, the fight against COVID-19 or another economic policy that his government was unveiling.
In the last couple months, though, his presence is not felt. Members of his own party wonder out loud where he has disappeared to. He is not setting the agenda; it is being done by others like Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is driving the judicial reform steamroller, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is the one getting the headlines when it comes to West Bank terrorism.
It is true that after the election when asked about his new coalition partners – Ben-Gvir and Smotrich – Netanyahu said that he would be in charge, but in practice that does not seem to be the case. Even his past critics could appreciate knowing that his hand was on the wheel and that he was running the show.
It is unclear where he is. His voice is not heard on the main issue that is dividing the country – judicial reforms – and while he can claim that it is because the attorney-general has banned him from doing so because of his trial, which is just an excuse.
Even regarding terrorism, his voice is barely being heard and his presence is not being felt. In the past, Netanyahu knew how to create a sense of calm, but after 14 people were killed in a month, it feels like he is not even trying.
Why isn’t Netanyahu visiting the scenes of the attacks? Except for the attack in Neveh Ya’acov, he hasn’t gone to any, not even to the one at the Ramot bus stop where the Paley brothers – Ya’acov and Asher – were murdered. Why isn’t he calling one of those special prime ministerial 8 p.m. addresses like he did regularly during COVID, to address the nation and try to ease their concerns?
Some politicians explain that it has to do with the advisers who are around him. He does not yet have full-time spokespeople, diplomatic advisers and more. Others claim that it is just not that important right now and that his focus is on passing the judicial reform, which he wants to advance out of a personal vendetta against the judiciary.
Others say that he is controlled today more than ever by his wife and son, and that he has become closed off to the more moderate players who used to surround him.
There are people who claim that Netanyahu’s real plan is to create chaos so that he can then strike a plea deal that will allow him to remain prime minister. The situation will be so bad, this theory goes, that the prosecution will agree to a deal just to stop some of the craziness.
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