How Netanyahu and the Right will win this election round, mark my words

Same way as Trump won from Clinton. By Netanyahu being very active in the last few days leading up to the election.

But that works even better in Israel. Compared to what I was used to as a Dutch person in the Netherlands, the average Israeli whom I meet has an attention span and a short-term memory smaller than reportedly a goldfish. What you do last minute makes all the difference in the world.

For instance, he’s touring the country like crazy. And he’s a hell of a speaker. I saw him last week in person for the first time. The comfort with which he talked and interacted with the public amazed me.

Maybe it was because I saw him in person and not on TV. Maybe it was because he spoke English. But I was very impressed — which is not easy.

Bibi was very surprised to hear the audience chanting “Ten more years!” as it was instructed before he arrived — as a variation to the Trumpian mantra: “Four more years.” He thought it a bit over the top. Five was fine with him too. I think that one more year (not in jail) would be a blessing already. But despite all prior instructions that he liked ‘Netanyahu’ better than Bibi, when he entered, the English speakers scanted “Bibi, Bibi” as if there is no tomorrow. He is much admired and loved, no doubt about it.

One advantage that he has is that he has done a ton of good for Israel. I know that he’s an enthusiastic capitalist — which he is proud of — and an anti-trade unionist. Still, he deserves a lot of credit for what he has done for our safety in ten years. And not necessarily for what he is praised for by his followers and castigated for by Israel’s enemies. He is not trigger-happy. He could have gone to war so many more times than he did. He always tries diplomatic and economic pressure rather than shoot up the terrorists. How many innocent lives were saved this way on both sides?!

He’s known to fulminate against the press as Trump does. He said to Mike Huckabee: “At least you have Fox News.” I think that Bibi is right when he complains about the slander and lies by Haaretz and many Hebrew news sites about him. But, especially in a meeting for English speakers, he could have given some credit to the fair reporting in the English local media.

I know that he lies. But arch-terrorist and mass murderer Arafat totally had the honest Rabin in his power. With evil people, one must be able to lie.

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His piece de resistance at the end of his speech was about how he stood up against the dictatorship of foreign governments. (Here he says part of the same thing in Hebrew from 1:56:25. In English, he sounded friendlier.) I saw that as a veiled hint that if an anti-Israel US president would enter the White House, no one could say no to his/her pressure as Netanyahu can. And I can’t dispute that. But he also explained how it can be done.

(When he mentioned Obama, some people booed, but he immediately shushed that. ‘We have had bigger and lesser friends in the White House, but they’re all friends.’ That is a great diplomat talking. Not a demagogue.)

He explained where he learned how to resist foreign pressure effectively. From his late father. In 1944, his father, the history professor, he told us, pressure US politicians that they should acknowledge a Jewish State in Palestine. At the same time, he put ads in the papers there to give the same message to the US public. He held that when you can convince the public, the politicians have no choice.

In 1956, the US government told Israel’s first PM to leave the Sinai or else. “The more I learn about David Ben-Gurion, the more respect I get for Israeli’s first PM.” Ben-Gurion had said that Israel would not do so in 1000 years. The elder Netanyahu went to speak to Begin on how to counter the pressure. Talk to the American People. He did not and so he had to give in.

But when a US Secretary of State gave Bibi in a European capital an ultimatum, he knew what to say. She said, you either agree to go back to the 1967 borders, with minor adjustments, or I will tell the world that Israel is the one who prevents peace in the Middle East. You have two hours. According to Bibi, he said: “Madam Secretary, I don’t need two hours and I don’t need two minutes. Let’s step outside now and I will tell the press that this land has been from the Jewish People for 3,500 years and” [I will not give it away. I made up the last words because he could not finish and did not need to finish his sentence because of the applause].

Before he spoke, he was preceded by a dozen speakers (while he was held up in a security meeting concerning Gaza’s rocket fire). I found it mostly a collection of lies and half-truths and primitive slogans. Nir Barkat was two whole categories better. But when Netanyahu started, it was clear again that there’s no one to succeed him, who can fill his shoes.

Netanyahu’s coalition is going to win the upcoming election. I thought that he blundered a lot in the past couple of years. But in any case, he’s back. Instead of fulminating against Arab Israelis, which he used to do just before elections, now, he tried to praise and charm them. He matured.

And he will be quite a team with Trump. Because the American People will never elect an anti-Zionist like Sanders. Mark my words.

One more point. When the Left loses this election, I expect slander from left-wing Jews and terror attacks from some Arabs. Let me suggest that if they won’t slander but rather show sports(wo)manship, then there will be no terror attacks either. Unity is a very holy and powerful thing.

A Saint or a Villain?

I’d not call Bibi a villain but some media do that day-in-day-out. And some call Gantz a saint. Would you choose a dentist who’s a saint or who’s a top dentist? I remember Rabin. He was kind of a saint. Got over 1000 Israelis murdered and manifold maimed by not understanding who he was facing.

Bibi started out being PM by lying to all. In no time everyone hated and ousted him. Then he understood. You only lie and break you word vis-à-vis enemies and people who want to hurt or fool you. Going strong ever since.

Bibi is not afraid to bomb Iran, if needed. But he’s also not trigger-happy or too timid to say “no” to hardliners who dream of flattening Gaza.

Love Him or Hate Him — Bibi Saves Lives From Corona

Want to know how fortunate Israel is with the PM we have, compare him to other leaders and regimes who prioritize short-term feel-good profits.

• The Chinese dictators didn’t want the public to know about the new coronavirus because that would reflect badly on their Socialist Utopia. Now two-and-a-half thousand people are dead.
• The US President doesn’t want the public to know to protect his flagship economic success rather than the citizens. Soon the virus will be all over.
• The super-religious sect from South Korea doesn’t let on that they have the virus not to stop spreading their faith — and infection.
• Iran’s dictators didn’t want anyone to know that they go on international trips while their nation is starving. Now they’re infected. For a second, I thought, if they all die, the Iranian People will be free. But this virus only kills 2% it seems. (Maybe they’ll refuse ‘Israeli’ healthcare and die all. Just like Hitler cut out ‘Jewish science’ and lost the race to the A bomb.)
• Our old enemy after Egypt, the Romans, were always for living it up. Now Italia has a corona explosion. They even protested that Israel doesn’t allow them in anymore. I guess, when they’re partying, brains are out.

Now look at what Israel does. Yes, it will cost a lot of money and jobs to chase away and keep out tourists and quarantine everyone who’s suspect. But these things are temporary and will pay themselves back. Hopefully, the coronavirus will only get a foothold in Israel when it died down from warmer weather or when there are already vaccinations or anti-viral treatments that are proven successful. Leadership: Netanyahu! Thank you.