Netanyahu shattering Israeli society, 'Israel' angering ally: Reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: New York Times/The Washington Post
1 Mar 2023 18:42

A report published in The Washington Post considers that with its actions, the Israeli occupation government has angered its closest supporters, the US.

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in occupied Al-Quds, Jan. 8, 2023 (Reuters)

"Israel" has never experienced a Palestinian Intifada and settlers' protests at the same time, but this has been witnessed since Benjamin Netanyahu's administration gained power, wrote Thomas Friedman in an article published in The New York Times under the title Netanyahu Is Shattering Israeli Society.

Earlier, illegal Israeli settlers closed roads and train stations protesting a draft judicial amendments bill that Netanyahu's government is seeking to pass, while the Israeli Police Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened protesters and ordered police to force roads open.

Freidman considered that "Israel today is a boiler with way, way too much steam building up inside, and the bolts are about to fly off in all directions."

The writer pointed to the operations carried out by Palestinian youths against illegal Israeli settlers and occupation forces, an expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, and protests against Netanyahu's so-called "judicial reforms", which together "are threatening a breakdown in governance the likes of which we’ve never seen before in Israel."

Freidman pointed out that a sign of how terrible the situation has gotten is multiple former Mossad officials condemning Netanyahu's "judicial reforms", the last of which was Danny Yatom, who told the Israeli Channel 13 on Saturday that if Netanyahu proceeds with his judicial plan to undermine the Israeli Supreme Court, "fighter pilots and special forces operatives will be able to legitimately disobey the orders that come from the government," as per Haaretz.

According to The Times of "Israel", in the past several days, around 250 officers from the Israeli occupation Military Intelligence's Special Operations Division and other special forces have signed a public statement warning that "they would stop showing up for duty" in case Netanyahu's government persists with its judicial decisions.

Freidman considered that "the maneuver’s breakneck speed is actually exposing what a total fraud Netanyahu is when he sweetly insists to foreign leaders and journalists that he simply wants to pass a few innocent technical fixes to bring the Supreme Court in Israel more in line with that of the U.S. or Canada or France."

He added that Netanyahu hopes his "judicial reforms" would end his trial on breach of trust, bribery, and fraud charges, which could place him in jail.

The writer continued that the "reforms" would give Netanyahu's coalition the power to build any illegal settlements in any place and to steal Palestinian land.

"In other words, none of this judicial "reform" is on the level. It is a power play that Netanyahu wants so that with a flick of his wrist — a simple one-seat majority vote in the Knesset — he can overturn anything the Supreme Court orders," the article concluded.

Netanyahu’s government will become an existential threat to "Israel's" survival

In a related context, another article written by Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post under the title "Israel" has angered its closest supporters, said Netanyahu’s decisions and statements resulted in "words of caution" from US President Joe Biden's administration and pro-"Israel" members of Congress.

According to Rubin, Netanyahu "sounded weirdly sympathetic" toward the illegal Israeli settlers who launched violent raids in Huwara, Nablus, against Palestinians.

"I ask — even when the blood is boiling — not to take the law into one’s hands," Netanyahu tweeted.

The article cited US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price's condemnation of "the widescale, indiscriminate violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians," following the killing of two illegal Israeli settlers in a shooting operation near Huwara.

"These actions are completely unacceptable. The United States extends its deepest condolences to those affected by this violence," Price stressed.

The writer also mentioned that Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, one of "Israel's" most loyal defenders, wrote that "attacking a village does not deserve to be called 'taking the law into your own hands.' This is not the law; this is undisciplined and random fury."

It also noted that the even American "Israel" Public Affairs Committee retweeted a statement from Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog’s "forceful condemnation" of the settlers' violence against Palestinians.

Rubin considered that the decisions of the Israeli occupation government risk "rupturing ties with its strongest backers," warning that "if it remains defiant, Netanyahu’s government will become an existential threat to the survival" of "Israel".