Is it the end of a quarter century of Bibi bedlam? - analysis
It would fittingly close a circle if Netanyahu reached the pinnacle and ended up leaving it in just as surprising fashion.
By GIL HOFFMANSigns abour annexation with pictures of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are displayed in Israel(photo credit: COURTESY YESHA COUNCIL)
On the morning of May 30, 1996, many voters woke up stunned to discover that Benjamin Netanyahu had won the election, after they had gone to sleep expecting incumbent Shimon Peres to win, according to the only exit poll available in those days, on Channel 1.The night before, the election broadcast on the channel showed Labor leaders celebrating Peres’s “victory” with great joy, while Likud stalwarts such as Reuven Rivlin and Tzipi Livni commiserated over losing a hard-fought battle.A quarter-century later, Netanyahu is still prime minister. He is still shocking voters and defying expectations.And those who were sure they had ended Netanyahu’s nascent political career that night, are still certain that the end is nigh.But both sides are no less emotional about Netanyahu, who continues to evoke the most intense passions in Israeli politics. Those who love him see him as irreplaceable, and those who despise him cannot wait to see him leave.Plenty of politicians have changed sides since then. Peres and Netanyahu got along well in Peres’s final years, while Rivlin, Livni and many of those who worked closely with him throughout his long political career detest him nowadays.One of the strategists who helped Netanyahu get elected, Arthur Finkelstein’s protégé, George Birnbaum, was the senior strategic adviser of Yamina leader Naftali Bennett in the March election and in his efforts since then to become prime minister in place of Netanyahu.“Being part of having elected Benjamin Netanyahu prime minister is one of the greatest and proudest achievements of my life,” Birnbaum said Sunday. “It ushered in a new era for Israel. It also started me on a path that had me involved in every Israeli national election for the past 25 years. Bibi has been a stalwart for the safety and security of the Jewish people. I am also very proud of my work with Naftali Bennett and find it hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Bibi first became prime minister. As we look to the next 25 years, I wish Naftali and all the other leaders who will follow him that they lead Israel and the Jewish people in peace and prosperity.”The word that Birnbaum used to describe both Netanyahu’s victory against all odds and Bennett being en route to the premiership with only six seats was “unbelievable.”Indeed, it would fittingly close a circle if Netanyahu reached the pinnacle and ended up leaving it in just as surprising fashion.
The sense of confusion in Israeli politics on the night of his first election has continued since then and remains in what look like Netanyahu’s final days as prime minister.With his back against the wall, Netanyahu has made speeches and issued videos that have shown him appearing desperate. He has fired in every direction and made offers that have appeared ridiculous, including a three-man rotation as prime minister after ruling out “rotations and mutations” during his campaign.Netanyahu defeated Peres in that election a quarter-century ago, and despite the pain that losing the election caused Peres, he was determined to go out gracefully when he left office.Netanyahu can still follow in Peres’s footsteps in that regard, though it appears unlikely.Then again, for Netanyahu, shocking voters and defying expectations is part of his political legacy.
