Dear Editor,
I don’t know to what extent people in Europe are aware of the dangerous involution that Israel is experiencing. Netanyahu has resumed the war (in explicit opposition to the army and the secret services) and has reinstated the right-wing extremist Itamar Ben Gvir into his government.
In the meantime, he has fired the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, who prioritized the liberation of the hostages in the negotiations with Hamas. Now, he also wants to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who opposes Ben Gvir’s nomination and is trying to correct some particularly reactionary decisions made by the government.
In point of fact, according to the law, Netanyahu has already gone considerably beyond the limits of legitimacy. He is trying to eliminate all the democrats in the institutions to replace them with “yes-men” who will be puppets in his hands. Meanwhile, a new scandal has broken out: some of those who work in the offices of the prime minister are being paid by Qatar, considered an enemy country by the army leaders.
It should be recalled that the dominant strategy among politicians and the military in recent years was based on the idea that a weak and wounded Hamas would maintain a truce in exchange for Qatari funding (which the Netanyahu government approved). This was why it was decided to concentrate forces in the West Bank – where Hamas was growing its influence – against Abu Mazen and the PLO, largely to protect the violent settlers who were provoking the Arabs, thus leaving the border with Gaza unguarded.
People at last night’s demonstration in Tel Aviv were protesting against the dismissal of Ronen Bar and the possible removal of the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara. There is a tug of war underway between Netanyahu and the last bastions of democracy.
The former chief of police, who denounced irregularities in relations with Qatar, accusing Netanyahu of treason, and a retired former intelligence chief, who has been expressing his indignation against Netanyahu’s “regime” for two years, spoke out forcefully at the demonstration. Their speeches were impassioned and the crowd interrupted them with shouts, whistles and the rhythmic beating of drums.
A large protest was planned in Jerusalem for today.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu now seems indifferent to the mood on the street and is openly pursuing his plans. His party, Likud, still maintains considerable strength, but the polls indicate a decline in the coalition and a probable victory for the opposition in numerical terms. However, the opposition is divided, and does not have a strong leader who can counter Bibi.
One reason for hope is represented by the Democrats, the aggregation of the Labor Party and allies of the left, including Meretz, who are rising in the polls. The coalition is led by a pragmatic and determined former general who is capable of being reassuring, Yair Golan. Golan is a former deputy chief of staff of the IDF (the Israeli army) and a member of Meretz. He is known for his critical positions towards the Netanyahu government and for his commitment to the democratic and progressive camp.
L’articolo Letter from Tel Aviv proviene da ytali..
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