W.G.H
I listen to the Jordan B. Peterson podcast almost religiously. I learn so much, simply by listening to Jordan and his guests, discuss and dissect issues on a variety of topics. Every once in a while, I may disagree with this or that, but not enough to trigger a full on response. This is an exception.
Naftali Bennett is a fairly well spoken guy, who frequents talk shows on international TV networks and for the most part, does quite well. As long as he sticks to the short form, Bulette points, he delivers concise, accurate and for the most part, true messages.
When the discussion goes deeper, Bennett can't help but show some of his true colors.
I want to highlight a few very important points, where Bennett was inaccurate, deceptive or outright lying:
Bi-partisanship: That is a very noble concept, and not only do I share it, Judaism kind of requires it. Difference of opinions is welcome, but internal "war" is THE cancer. I believe that his assessment, that this internal war encouraged Hamas to do what they did a year ago is correct.
Having said that, Bennett provides nothing more than lip service here.
Before I highlight why that is the case, I'd like to add another misrepresentation that would tie this neatly together.
Right and Left in Israel: Jordan asked a key question at the beginning of the discussion – how would you define what separates right from left in Israeli politics. Bennet gave a decent response, but not a complete one.
He correctly mentioned that there is a very big consensus around large portion of the main policies. The vast majority of Israelis view Israel as a democratic Jewish state, we believe that state and religion cannot be mixed to the extent where any one imposes itself on the other. Most of us agree on the futility of the fictitious two state solution. Most of us agree on a free market, but want some safety nets. Most of us agree that the balance between the judiciary and the executive was disrupted in favor of the Judiciary. The differences on policy are mainly in terms of – what is the extent of their implementation. Tweaks.
So, you might rightly ask, why was 2023 characterized by what looks like a deep divide?
Let's tie these subjects to what I hope would be a coherent conclusion:
There is one big point, and it cannot be overstated, that is at the heart of the difference between right and left in Israel at this time. That point being – Benjamin Netanyahu.
That is all.
The difference between the so-call left and so-called right in Israel is whether you belong to the "Only Bibi" camp or the "Anything but Bibi" camp. THAT IS IT. No ideology, nor policy.
Now, I invite you to take a wild guess, to which camp Bennett belongs…
Bi-partisanship is a noble idea, but Bennett wasn't thinking bi-partisanship, when he helped form a "Anything but Bibi" coalition. His party received 6 mandates (out of 120) in these elections, and he leveraged these 6 to a position of prime minister. This coalition included 2 parties that are not only not Zionist, but who represent terrorist views in our parliament. In short – nothing to do with bi-partisanship and everything to do with opportunism and exclusivity.
Another example for Bennett and his camp's completely partisan behavior (as opposed to the noble speech) is what happened after Oct 7, 2023. Netanyahu called on all Zionist parties from right or left to join a bi-partisan emergency coalition. No pre-conditions. This, in hopes to lead the efforts going forward, based on a vastly wide representation of the voters. Most of Bennett's friends turned the invitation down. Why? Because these "bi-partisans" have a standing boycott on Netanyahu.
So please, Mr. Bennett. Don't virtue signal on Jordan's podcast.
Bennett asks, or rather challenges Bibi on the "strategy" of the current war. This became a populist criticism (based on the fact that there's no real merit to speak of) of Bibi. Well, Mr. Bennett, Why didn't you mention the publicly stated goals of the war, as stated by Bibi on multiple occasions? Here, I'll help you:
- Remove Hamas from Gaza, as a military force threatening Israel, and as a civil organization.
- Returned ALL of the hostages, held by Hamas
- Return ALL Israeli refugees to their homes along the south and north borders.
How would we achieve this?
Netanyahu answered that too, on many occasions: Hit our enemies until these goals are achieved. Negotiations only under fire.
As to the hostages negotiations, Bennett is being really malicious here. How dare you? What deal is on the table? Even Qatar, which you accurately described, admits that there is no such deal, and that there is not a word from Hamas for months now. The unfriendly administration in the white house also confirms that the party to blame for the lack of deal is Hamas. So how dare you lay this on Natanyahu's desk? Shame on you.
On the proposed reform in the Judiciary, Bennett minimizes the loss of balance. It is very problematic and not surprisingly, it tips very harshly to the left. Some of its recent decisions literally risked lives, and all in the name of progressive fallacies. And no, there is no improvement in recent years. Not at all.
I'll leave the fact that Bennett took false credit for the economy. Nor will I even delve into his treacherous behavior towards Netanyahu, who basically made him. because there's another topic I want to wrap this up with.
My family lives next to the Gaza border. Yes, in that very region where all the atrocities took place. I'm stating this, to qualify my report that his statement that there is no war in Gaza is an outright lie. Absolutely untrue. the ground (and houses) shake 24/7 in that area, from the constant bombardments. I personally visited multiple times, and visually confirmed – there is definitely a war in Gaza. Why is Bennett lying? Is it his bi-partisan nature? or is it his blind hatred to the current prime minister?
It's important to work on uniting the nation around the truly large variety of topics we mostly agree on. It's important to do that, while we recognize what's true and what's false.
That is all…
Respectful comments (whether in agreement or otherwise) are welcome.
גיל שלו 