“We’ll See”

Whenever the American president, Donald John Trump, is not able to answer a question put to him, he does not turn to his teleprompter but instead, he speaks off the cuff. Only two words: “We’ll See”.

Mr. President, are you going to move the embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem? (“We’ll see”).

Mr. President, are you going to war against North Korea? (“We’ll see”).

Mr. President, are you going to increase sanctions against Russia? (“We’ll see”)

Mr. President, when will you approve the Congressional revision of health care? (We’ll see”).

Mr. President, the polls show you as America’s worst president ever. What do you say? (“We’ll see”).

Amazing that a man who is never short on words, whose ramblings, twitters, speeches are almost never without end, is so short of words which pertain to him and to his alleged policies. Perhaps it’s because he requires much time to respond to the questions or he doesn’t know what really to reply, or more probably, he plainly does not want to answer the questions.

In Israel we have never been faced with such an odd problem. I have never heard Bibi reply to a question with a “nireh”. He has an answer for everything…usually long answers.

And my personal favorite, the late great Menachem Begin, a dynamic and eloquent speaker and master of the Hebrew language, would answer a question with another question (a Jewish habit, it seems).

Mr. Prime Minister, do you think there will ever be peace between us and the Palestinians?  “Why?”

And then he would proceed to give a long, well-thought out commentary on the question.

In Hebrew we refer to it as “dugri” (itself, an Arab word) which basically means telling things exactly as they are. Putting one’s cards directly on the table. No hesitation. The facts as one sees the facts. The truth as one believes the truth.

Sara Netanyahu, waiting for a possible and probable indictment, took a polygraph test which indicated that she was replying truthfully to questions. But that polygraph test was a private one. Now she waits for the official government polygraph test. She talks a great deal. But are her words “dugri”?

Likewise, her husband, our embattled Prime Minister, awaits possible indictment for alleged inappropriate actions on his behalf. He denies all of them.

Will husband and wife be found guilty? No one yet knows. But as President Trump would say, “we have to wait. And then “we’ll see”.