Status: 11/16/2021 7:33 a.m.
Benjamin Netanyahu was prime minister for longer than anyone else in Israel’s history. Now the 72-year-old sits in the opposition – and continues to vigorously draw attention to himself. What else does he want to achieve?
Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest aides continue to refer to him as “Rosh Ha’Memshala”, Prime Minister. Israeli media reports that Netanyahu is calling for this. For five months he has only been an opposition leader. Netanyahu was prime minister for longer than anyone else in Israel’s history. Perhaps that also leads to the man sometimes overestimating his popularity a little.
“Today I visited my hairdresser in Jerusalem’s Talpiyot neighborhood,” he said recently. “When I came out, you couldn’t move because so many people were standing outside. The whole neighborhood had gathered. People were shouting loudly and they were crying. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m here, and with God’s help for many years to come. ” Too bad that a cell phone video of the scene turned up later. There were no crowds to be seen.
Is he going to retire?
One must not do the man injustice: Netanyahu is still popular with many Israelis. His Likud party leads in polls. But his chances of becoming premier again soon have fallen recently.
This is due to the state budget, which Israel’s new government coalition recently passed in parliament. Because the budget is in place for the first time in years, another new election in politically unstable Israel is off the table for the time being. Some are already speculating that Netanyahu will leave politics for good at the age of 72.
The political scientist Gayil Talshir from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem doesn’t believe that. “Netanyahu keeps bringing himself into play. Since losing the last election, he’s been very active as an opposition leader,” she says. “He’s making speeches that are supposed to harm the new government. He’s still planning a comeback. He wants to play off the very different parties in the government against each other.”
“Netanyahu wants to make trial public”
But what drives Netanyahu after all these years? A man who even critics attest that he has achieved a great deal in his political career. Political scientist Talshir believes there is a connection with the corruption charge: “Officially, Netanyahu has no legal advantage in being an opposition leader. But Netanyahu wants to make this trial a public one. He argues that he is charged because it is the real one Representative of the people. He thinks that the judiciary is not really prosecuting him, but the people. “
The trial against the earlier long-term premiere is entering an important phase today. A former Netanyahu advisor is said to testify as a key witness. It is about the most serious of several allegations against the ex-prime minister. It is said to have given a telecommunications company advantages in terms of competition law. In return, a website of the group is said to have reported more positively about Netanyahu and his wife.
Netanyahu denies the allegations – and is self-confident. “We will find a way to replace this government. We will correct everything and, with God’s help, continue to lead the State of Israel.”
Internal competition rushes forward
Internally, however, representatives of Netanyahu’s Likud admit that there is currently simply no majority in favor of a change of government. Instead, internal party competitors could soon try to overthrow Netanyahu in Likud.
A final end to the Netanyahu era would lead to both grief and jubilation in politically divided Israel – depending on who you ask.
In the executive federal government in Berlin, the grief would probably be limited: The relationship between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Netanyahu is considered bad. When Merkel visited Jerusalem a few weeks ago, a meeting with the opposition leader was not on the agenda.