Avigdor Lieberman has stated publicly that because of his endeavor to promote a national unity government (consisting – of course- of himself, Likud, and Blue and White), Likud may have to choose another leader. He mentioned Yuli Edelstein, the current Speaker of the Knesset. In response, the Likud party machinery got the first forty candidates on its list (polls predict that about thirty may be elected) to declare that they’d only have Netanyahu as their leader.

Touching fealty, isn’t it? An editorial in Ha’aretz suggests that this is the way things are done in North Korea where declared commitment to the leader is a non-negotiable prerequisite for holding public office.

It’s possible that the signatories believe that Netanyahu is the only acceptable leader because of his achievements, internally and externally, and his leadership qualities. But it’s also possible that their statement is the result of Netanyahu having suppressed talent to avoid competition. Perhaps Ayelet Shaked, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, who at some point all worked for Netanyahu, have had to form political parties of their own because they didn’t stand a chance with Netanyahu, especially on account of the reported antipathy toward them by Mrs. Netanyahu.

Inevitably, we ask whether Netanyahu has promoted – through a stooge, of course – this touching manifestation of faith by the forty, because he’s afraid of not being in office and, therefore, ending up in jail. It’s assumed that, if he becomes prime minister again, one of the first pieces of legislation will be to grant a sitting prime minister immunity from prosecution.

As I’ve written before, in order scare his supporters from paying positive attention to Lieberman, Netanyahu paints him in repeated attacks as a rabid left-winger. Please note that Lieberman has stated that Netanyahu isn’t tough enough with Israel’s Arab neighbors, especially Hamas in Gaza. Lieberman has also attacked Israel’s Arab citizens, including their elected Knesset members. He himself is a settler. He lives in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim whereas Netanyahu lives in Jerusalem and Caesarea, and the leaders of the New Right in Tel Aviv (Shaked) and Ra’anana (Bennett). So: Lieberman a lefty?

Sadly, one doesn’t hear any pre-election debate about the many issues that affect Israel today and should concern voters. Thus, for example, though we know what Likud stands for because of its years in government, it’s almost impossible to discern what the major opposition party, Blue and White, has on its agenda, should its leaders come to govern. One gets the impression that the only difference between the two parties is that Blue and White isn’t led by Netanyahu.  One should be forgiven to surmise that, in fact, there’s no other significant difference between them. The Left isn’t in this picture.

Sadly, it’s most unlikely that things will change before voting day.

Republished from San Diego Jewish World

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