Bibi is the brother of the late Yoni Netanyahu, an Israeli hero. We share the same family name, passed down from our grandfather, Rabbi Nathan Milikowsky-Netanyahu.
Until the 2015 elections, I supported Bibi. I celebrated his victories with him and shared his frustrations in defeat.
Every year, I attended the memorial for Yoni at Mount Herzl and afterward, I would visit Bibi at the house on Haporzim Street.
My parents taught me to believe that maintaining a democratic state requires a separation of powers and independence of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It also requires an unbiased press and impartial gatekeepers.
That’s why the Attorney General’s decision, after a hearing, to indict a sitting Prime Minister in three cases of fraud and breach of trust was so deeply shocking. It made me realize that I, too, had been deceived by Netanyahu’s lies over the years.
His indictment only reinforced his distorted belief that “I am the state” and that Bibi would fight the state. As his wife once expressed, if need be, “let the state burn.”
He works incessantly to destroy Israeli democracy—legislating to weaken the independence of the Supreme Court and, since the war broke out, overturning long-standing norms: appointing judges who suit the Justice Minister’s preferences, using a politicized police force to suppress protesters, bereaved families, and hostages’ relatives, demanding personal loyalty from new gatekeepers, and continuously attacking the Attorney General.
All of this is done while operating a well-oiled poison machine that relentlessly targets those who fight to preserve the rule of law and the civilian organizations active since the war’s outbreak.
A well-oiled poison machine
Netanyahu and his government ignore the suffering of the residents near Gaza, who have been abandoned and murdered, and the families of the hostages while spreading venom against anyone with differing opinions.
Netanyahu has been betraying and destroying the country for years, both in terms of security and the economy.
Netanyahu strengthened Hamas over 15 years through cash payments with no oversight while also allowing Hezbollah to grow by refraining from military action over the years.
He is wrecking Israel’s economy and its ability to finance the enormous war expenses by diverting funds to controversial purposes, and there have been no discussions about the 2025 budget.
Netanyahu neglected safety protocols for the Meron pilgrimage, where 45 people died, and did not take responsibility for the findings of the state inquiry commission.
He turned Likud from a democratic party founded on the principles of Jabotinsky into a group of thugs and criminals.
Netanyahu jeopardized Israel’s security by convincing the US to exit the nuclear deal with Iran without securing sufficient sanctions.
He has abandoned the social welfare of Israeli citizens—around 31% live in food insecurity.
The state commission on the naval vessels and submarines determined that “Netanyahu endangered the security of the state and damaged its foreign relations and economic interests.”
Repeatedly, Netanyahu sabotages deals for the release of hostages, fearing that the extreme right-wing factions in his government would abandon him.
Does the destruction of the state not concern him and the hostages? They genuinely don’t matter to him. His sole objective is to extend his rule indefinitely and avoid a state investigation commission into the events that have weakened democracy and led to the outbreak of war.
The author is a cousin of Benjamin Netanyahu.