A huge political question has accompanied our lives in recent years. What is the secret of Benjamin Netanyahu's survival as prime minister? Is it related to his policies? To macroeconomic stability? To the security calm during most of his term?
This is not a trivial question. The narrative that will be shaped will have a profound impact on Israeli politics. How does a prime minister with 20 seats, relatively low popularity ratings, and sour relations with all the heads of the coalition factions manage to survive? How does Netanyahu manage to be the only leader on the scene without a single significant achievement? Without a real agenda that he can point to, especially after the Iranian agenda has faded?
My explanation doesn't give much credit to Netanyahu. In my opinion, Bibi is simply very lucky. He is playing alone on the field while the center-left camp is eliminating its potential leaders with impressive efficiency. Olmert dug himself a huge criminal hole. Ehud Barak seconded himself to his camp with a mixture of opportunism and hedonism. Tzipi Livni managed to dismantle her own party. Mofaz didn't rise. Shelly Yachimovich didn't seem like someone who could sit in the captain's position, and Yair Lapid, well, I've written enough about Yair Lapid.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
It's hard to give Netanyahu real credit for eliminating his rivals. True, he had the smarts to politically bribe Barak and Mofaz into political deals that eliminated them. He knew how to offer almost dirty prices to members of Livni's faction, with the aim of dismantling her leadership, but they did everything else themselves.
If this camp had a mediocre leader, he could have brought down Netanyahu. You can't take away Netanyahu's improved political abilities, a real upgrade from the way he functioned in his first term. For most of the term (he lost it a bit in the last year), he did a good job of maintaining power centers, he distributed ministers with infinite generosity in the previous term, paid Yvette an exorbitant price to ensure his rule and gives up almost any decision, if it endangers his rule, God forbid.
The most relevant case of a potential candidate who shot himself in the foot without Netanyahu lifting a finger is the case of Amir Peretz. After "Pillar of Cloud" in November 2012, Peretz had already received the rehabilitation he had been waiting for. "Iron Dome" had already done the work for him, he was the undisputed number 2 of Labor Chairman Shelly Yachimovitz, and if only he had overcome his emotions and not done the terrible foolishness of joining Tzipi Livni's "Movement," then just imagine what an opponent Netanyahu would have had here.
It is very likely that after Yachimovitz's failure, Peretz would have taken the Labor Party by storm. Labor Chairman Peretz would be seen today, after the dizzying success of "Iron Dome," as a leader who has the whole package. Social, but no longer as threatening as he seemed in 2006 (after he came from the position of chairman of the Histadrut). Security, political, experienced, what could they claim about him? Wouldn't he now bring 20 seats in the polls against Netanyahu? Wouldn't he automatically become the leader of the center-left?
Is it reversible? Very difficult. Peretz may return to the Labor Party, but he will return, if he does, at the mercy of Chairman Herzog, who has just passed a resolution at the party conference that there will be no more primaries until the elections. It will be very difficult for Peretz to betray Herzog and ask for primaries again close to the elections. It is not impossible, but it is very difficult. If only he had not given in to his emotions.
From Raviv Drucker's website:
http://drucker10.net/?p=2297
