Olmert to ‘Post’: Bennett-Lapid coalition is end of PM Netanyahu

If the Knesset chooses to put their faith in him, I will be happy. I believe the coalition formed by Yair Lapid was a wise move, that it demonstrates his willingness to sacrifice his clear electoral advantage, and will bear him extensive political fruits in the future. And it might even earn him the position he’s aspired to from the start: the prime ministership.

At the current time, this is the only composition of political forces that will lead to the formation of a government.

I salute all of the partners – especially Mansour Abbas, who sobered up from the illusion that joining forces Bibi was a viable option.

If we were in need of one singular piece of overwhelming evidence to explain why Netanyahu does not deserve to stay even one more day at the residence on Balfour Street, he himself supplied it with the desperate and disgraceful speech he delivered following Bennett’s announcement that he and his fellow Yamina members had decided to join the new government.

Netanyahu revealed the weak and hysterical side of his personality as he stood there, running his mouth. He accused Bennett of fraudulent behavior, lying, breach of trust and uniting with the Left, as if they were a group of traitors who yearn for the destruction of the State of Israel. There wasn’t anything left after Netanyahu finished slinging mud at Bennett. And yet, wonder of wonders, in that very same speech, after he finished his swearing and slandering, Netanyahu accused Bennett of not accepting his own proposal, which he indicated was still valid, to serve as prime minister in a coalition at the center of which Netanyahu would stand.

In other words, the same person whom Netanyahu just moments before had criticized – questioning Bennett’s decency, honesty and loyalty to country and state – was being invited to serve as prime minister. But only in a right-wing government, and of course without the treacherous and dangerous Left.

What could be more pitiable, shameful and repulsive than this proposal at the end of a speech full of insults and slanderous quips?

Here in Israel, we’ve experienced quite a few political controversies and storms, but we’ve never been exposed to such a clear demonstration of the years-long moral disintegration by a prime minister, and yet he still remains the leader of Israel’s largest political party.

What should we expect in the coming days?

A few week ago, I took a chance when I made the assessment that Netanyahu was striving to heat up the atmosphere in Israel. He’s dragging in his extremist thugs so they can incite clashes with Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem, which would lead to an outbreak of terrorist attacks and thereby justify the declaration of a state of emergency, which would help prevent the formation of a government by the person appointed by the president to fulfill this task. Within a few days, it became clear that my assessment was almost spot-on.

The provocative violence inflicted by Lehava and Itamar Ben-Gvir in Jerusalem ignited a fire that festered for 11 days of fighting with Hamas. I didn’t think then, and I don’t think now, that Hamas was drawn into this violent confrontation by Netanyahu. Hamas was just waiting for an opportunity to incite violence within Israel, and among ourselves, too. The insane number of rockets they shot into Israel from the Gaza Strip justified our harsh, aggressive and unequivocal response, which was carried out by the IDF.

THERE’S NO DOUBT that the number of days of fighting could have been shortened, as they were when the government requested that the US president apply pressure, and when it requested mediation from Egypt in order to come to an understanding with Hamas that would lead to a ceasefire. In any case, Netanyahu had by then already achieved his main goal. Bennett felt pressured and so he announced that the possibility of forming a new government was off the table.

As I had guessed would happen, Netanyahu then immediately jumped at the opportunity this superfluous state of emergency offered him, and he renewed efforts to drag Gideon Sa’ar, Bennett and Ayelet Shaked into a right-wing government that could save us from a “left-wing government.”

It turns out, however, that Bennett came to his senses just in time. After things had calmed down, Bennett realized that Netanyahu’s offers had been nothing more than a booby trap. If Bennett had acquiesced to Netanyahu’s offer, that would have been the end of his public service, and he would have been swallowed up inside the insane whirlpool of this deranged family and its groupies.

Bennett returned to the only path that could prevent another round of elections and save our country from additional turmoil under the leadership of an unworthy man and his unstable family.

So, what happens now?

The days leading up to the deadline when the Knesset will reconvene to vote on a new government will most likely be turbulent and volatile. Everyone who imagines that Netanyahu will just give up and accept the new reality is demonstrating that they have learned nothing.

Netanyahu will return to his usual methods. He will organize protests and will put pressure on everyone who seems like they will break down under pressure. The hilltop youth, Ben-Gvir’s Lehava followers and Bezalel Smotrich will return to the center of the arena. Bennett and his family, Shaked, Sa’ar and all the Yamina members of Knesset and representatives of the New Hope party will be harassed and threatened. 

The incitement might exacerbate into violent clashes between supporters of the new bloc and people who understand that this is a war for political survival. I believe that Bennett and his friends are determined to give their clear support to this move he’s making together with Shaked. Sa’ar will not change his stance, nor will he succumb to threats and harassment. He knows Bibi better than all of us and will know what to expect up to the last moment.

And yet, alongside this great hope that is blossoming among a large portion of the Israeli public, there is still reason for concern.

We’ve been through this situation before, and it’d be worthwhile to keep this in mind. I found myself among the inner circle of Likud leaders who were struggling to deal with Shimon Peres’s attempt to form a government following the dirty trick of 1990. 

Peres had arrived at the Knesset on the first intermediate day of Passover for a special meeting at which he was planning to present his government. The evening before, he’d presented the composition of the new government to the Labor Party. In the morning, however, when he arrived at the Knesset with his entourage, he discovered that two of Knesset members without whom he would not have a majority were nowhere to be found. As a result, the government could not be presented. A month later, Yitzhak Shamir was sworn in as the next prime minister. And that’s a fact.

My recommendation is that the members of the new bloc – and especially Lapid, Bennett, Gantz and Sa’ar – remain vigilant and ready to take advantage of all of their leadership power so they don’t find themselves at the last moment in a similar situation.

Bibi Netanyahu is capable of doing anything imaginable, and especially things that could not be thought up by anybody who is a decent human being, who believes in democracy and knows how to obey rules that are proper, decent and acceptable.

It’s imperative that next week movers will come to pack up the Netanyahu family’s stuff and remove it from the house on Balfour Street. This house has become a symbol of all that is evil, distorted and delusional in our public lives. Bibi’s evacuation cannot just be symbolic. It must be tangible and immediate. And the sooner, the better – for all of us.