From Dictatorship To Democracy

I knew that PM Netanyahu was trouble. Now I have the proof. Unless olim and sabras do what is right, both they and we in the Diaspora have a dictator on our hands:

“I turn to you tonight because in the current situation, in the current government, it is impossible to lead the nation,” said Netanyahu, saying the impasse is preventing him from fulfilling his role as prime minister.

As if that kind of language from Dictator Netanyahu is not enough:

Netanyahu gave the order to Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit to send off letters of dismissal to the two ministers.  In a statement prior to his address on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu explained, “In recent weeks, including the last day, the ministers Lapid and Livni have sharply attacked the government I lead. I will not tolerate any more opposition from within the government, I will not tolerate ministers attacking the policy of the government and its leader from within the government.”

Then comes ha’lashon hara against MK Lapid:

The prime minister rejected rumors that he had made a deal with hareidi parties in anticipation of elections, branding such claims as baseless. But he went further still, claiming that it was in fact Lapid who held backroom talks with the hareidi parties, despite saying in public that he was against joining with them.

Who is working with Agudat Yisra’el, Manhig Yakar? Lekh, Rav Netanyahu! I can see why people are making parallels between certain Germans and Likud. For example:

“In one word, you call that a putsch. You can’t run a government this way,” said Netanyahu, slamming “narrow political considerations” fueling the moves.

“It isn’t a simple thing for me to do this evening,” said Netanyahu, saying he “gave up on being prime minister because I didn’t have the majority in the Knesset, I didn’t have the mandates.”

The move was made for the benefit of the proper management of the country, according to Netanyahu, who said he was “taking a personal risk.”

He called on the public to vote for Likud to give him a true mandate to lead the nation, saying “we must go elect a new government that is stronger and more stable.”

That sounds like what happened in the Weimar Republic, doesn’t it? Read again:

He called on the public to vote for Likud to give him a true mandate to lead the nation, saying “we must go elect a new government that is stronger and more stable.”

Oh dear. Is President Re’uven Rivlin about the be Minhag Netanyahu’s von Hindenburg? Chas v’shalom! Nonetheless, PM Netanyahu clearly wants to be more than just PM:

When challenged by journalists during the question and answer session as to why he was not similarly blaming Bennett and Liberman – who both issued harsh comments against his leadership during the summer’s war with Gaza terrorists – Netanyahu noted that while that was true, the nationalist party leaders stopped such public criticism when he reprimanded them for it. Not so Lapid and Livni, whose public criticisms of the government “got even stronger,” who even went so far as to join the campaign of delegitimization against Israel by foreign powers, he said.

“I wanted as wide a government as possible; I wasn’t able to, they didn’t allow me to,” said Netanyahu, saying he called for the opposition to join the coalition during the operation in Gaza and after the recent Jerusalem synagogue attack in Har Nof.

These are clear dictatorial tactics. That is:

1. “Netanyahu noted that while that was true, the nationalist party leaders stopped such public criticism when he reprimanded them for it.” He didn’t allow criticism from even the nationalist party, and he tried to pain his bad intentions and actions as good.
2. As aforementioned, he spoke lashon hara against MK Lapid. He spoke even more: “Not so Lapid and Livni, whose public criticisms of the government “got even stronger,” who even went so far as to join the campaign of delegitimization against Israel by foreign powers, he said.”
3. He blamed his counterparts for his failings. “”I wanted as wide a government as possible; I wasn’t able to, they didn’t allow me to,” said Netanyahu, saying he called for the opposition to join the coalition during the operation in Gaza and after the recent Jerusalem synagogue attack in Har Nof.”

The rest of the article (the above-cited proof) I will let you read. However, I will note that one party’s “pursuing the secular and Druze vote more actively as opposed to its traditional religious Zionist base” fits the “Declaration of Establishment” well.