In 100 years from now, Benjamin Netanyahu will be remembered in history books all across the globe as a prominent Zionist and impactful figure in the State of Israel. However, between internal political struggles, the unexpected loss to Iranian diplomats in securing a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, and the recent Credit rating warning; Netanyahu’s overall good name might be tainted forever and replaced with something far worse. His legacy as a Prime Minister leading Israel into a bright future is slowly being replaced with the legacy of one who is unintentionally leading his country into the terrifying unknown.
A series of strategic miscalculations on behalf of the Israeli Prime Minister that had an extremely crucial impact on the future of the Jewish state have led Netanyahu to this point. After campaigning in the previous election cycle under the promise that he will strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia and get them to join the Abraham Accords, the Arabian Kingdom seems to have completely distanced itself from Israel through various reconciliation agreements with Iran, Syria, and, as The Judean reported today, Hamas. A successful meeting between Iranian and Saudi officials mediated by the Chinese government last month has encouraged other regimes sponsored by the Persian government to reignite diplomatic discourse with Saudi Arabia and by extension, the broader Arab and Muslim world.
Netanyahu ran for Prime Minister all in order for legacy. One cannot help but ask exactly what kind of legacy he will be leaving ... pic.twitter.com/CedZBMhXCh
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) March 26, 2023
Perhaps Netanyahu could not be blamed for the external forces that pushed for such developments in the region, but while the unity against Israel on behalf of its neighbors was gaining traction, he was busy pushing forward with the plan to reform the judiciary using a plan that galvanized the opposition and concerned many of Israel's friends. Since the unveiling of the Judicial Reform plan, months of protests and riots in Israel against the legislation have distracted Netanyahu from focusing on what his real goals were, and instead, had him focused on resisting internal pressures. While many arguably agree that it is necessary to reform Israel's judicial system, how it was being done worried even some of Netanyahu's allies.
Today, it is clear that Netanyahu made a rare political mistake. The judicial reform plan could have waited while his primary campaign goal, that is the creation of diplomatic ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, received his immediate attention. Pausing the legislative push long before the massive weekly protests and acts of civil disobedience became a public stain on Israel’s stability; and securing regional unity against Iran as had been Netanyahu's main message, should have been the obvious priority.
2. Moody's announcement makes it clear their analysts do not believe Netanyahu, nor are they buying into the so called 'dialogue'. They do however respect the sentiment of the people and the civil protests, which succeeded in forcing a pause in legislation. ➡️
— Or-ly Barlev in English (@OrlyBarlevEng) April 15, 2023
After it was too late to put an end to the Public Relations disaster that plagued Israel, the prophecy of some of the world's leading economists came to fruition and the Start-Up Nation’s economy began to spiral and lose its “mojo”. The most recent Israeli credit rating warning by Moody's, which mentioned Israeli “deterioration in governance”, reminded the Israeli public of how Netanyahu has lost control of his government and its effectiveness. Today, even the financial aspect, something that even his most determined critics agree has been his career's bread and butter, is seen by the Israeli public as falling apart.
Following Finance Minister Smotrich and Netanyahu’s joint statement trying to minimize concerns over Moody’s report, members of the Israeli Economic Forum said “The praise recorded in the report on the strength of Israeli democracy specifically referred to the strength of civil society's opposition to the coalition's dangerous measures, and it is strange that Smotrich and Netanyahu chose to be proud of this as well. The positive points in the report concerned the ability of Israeli society to oppose the government's measures, and all the negative points concerned the government's plans.”
Israel's master contortionist Netanyahu tests political limits https://t.co/WXy2nyepiR pic.twitter.com/T2A0Jw8ajU
— Newton Citizen (@Newton_Citizen) March 29, 2023
While the economy remains desperate for attention from Netanyahu, he remains busy dealing with the chain of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens that was taking place throughout the tiny country orchestrated by Palestinian and Iranian organizations seizing the opportunity. And as all these events are taking place in tandem, it is hard not to see that Benjamin Netanyahu, the great Revisionist-Zionist and head of Israel’s right-wing Likud party, has lost his talent as an effective and shrewd leader of the Jewish state. What once would be considered an easy walk in the park for Bibi’s capabilities, has turned into a steep hill for the man elected by the majority of Israeli voters to be Prime Minister more often than any other man or woman in the nation's history.
Simply put, Netanyahu is unintentionally destroying decades of his work and progress with poor decision-making that is uncharacteristic of his political acumen. According to many experts and inner-Likud activists, this current term is Netanyahu’s last, but it seems even that won’t save him from his wrongdoings, and more importantly secure Israeli sovereignty in the long run. The only question that remains is how history will remember the man who built Israel into an economic powerhouse that has been the envy of most of the world.
