To put it extremely lightly, you couldn't call me Bibi's biggest fan. Though G-d has blessed him with intelligence, experience, and American English that would rival any oleh chadash it always seems to get washed down the drain of wretched policy. Flying back and forth between right and left more often than a ping pong ball, there is only one true constant in his decision making - he will do whatever it takes to make sure that it is his tuckus occupying the chair in the PM's office.
Like most others, the recent decision on the prisoner release infuriated me. But maybe more than others, I was already infuriated the week before the decision as I knew deep down that it would go through. How? Because when Bibi wants something he can pull the strings to get it. Just last year I watched in disbelief as the cabinet approved making Ulpana in Beit El Judenrein, including supposedly religious MK's not lifting a finger to stop it for cowering fear of losing their seats at the table. Aside from the absolute ridiculous injustice of the case, both from a moral and legal aspect, it showed me just how skillful Bibi is at manipulating the government to have his way. And though HE HIMSELF of all people declared before the neighborhood was even built that it would never be evacuated, apparently not even Bibi is able to stop Bibi. Had I possessed the money and resources at the time of the past election, I would have liked to have posted pictures of good Jews from Beit El being unjustly kicked out of their homes next to all those nonsensical billboards of Bibi in front of the Kotel proclaiming what a strong prime minister he was. Though, perhaps, recent as it may have been maybe people wouldn't have really gotten the point. Maybe a PR campaign reminding everyone who gave away Hevron would have been a little more poignant eh?
Yet just when I'm ready to throw in the towel and resign to label Bibi in my mind as complete and total rat, all of a sudden something right wing comes out of left field. Reading today of his refusal to sign further agreements with the EU over their recent policy decisions regarding entities in Yehuda and Shomron I almost felt proud of the old boy. Though it certainly took long enough, one would almost think Bibi took the diapers off and moved on to pull-ups. Additionally, I must give credit where credit is due. Building a new border fence in the south and the speed with which it has been progressing is something I commend whole heatedly as well.
So I don't really know what to make of Bibi these days. Is he a sellout leftist wolf in right winged sheep's clothing? Is he a misguided but well intentioned proud Jew and lover of the land of Israel? Is he simply just the opportunist he often seems to be who will whore himself out to whichever side of the political aisle best currently suits his needs? As Jeremy Man Saltan said in a great recent interview on the Yishai Fleisher Show, it seems that only Bibi and G-d really know what Bibi is actually thinking. Though I myself wonder G-d is actually the only one of those two who knows. I myself know one thing for sure - and that's who my choice would be for the next Likud primaries if I were to vote in them. I'd personally do a write in for a dashing young fellow by the name of Ben Nitay...
You gotta READ THIS!
ReplyDeleteYeah, saw that one. Debka has been known to jump the gun and have some inaccurate info from time to time so I'm holding out hope that that's the case here - although I must say that for the past month or two almost every single thing they post shows up on the mainstream media basically exactly as they reported it but just a few days to a week after they say it... so unfortunately looks like they're sources have been giving them good info lately :(
DeleteIt's part of a larger post I was thinking about incorporating in this one but I was in the erev Shabbat rush and didn't have time to sit down and do it properly. I'm hoping to do a separate post soon that has a bit more of a big picture take on it.
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