I am very pleased with the lack of a victory by Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s elections. I simply can not express how much his being denied an outright victory, so to be unable to form another government, means to me.
Corruption and illegal settlements have long concerned me. Both of those issues are front and center when it comes to Netanyahu. And it is why I have such disdain for him.
I wrote in August 2010 the following.
But the world needs more than just cheap theatre from Israel. We need some real dialogue from the main players in the Middle East on some of the thorniest issues yet to be resolved in the peace talks. But nothing can happen if Israel sticks a pole into the eyes of the Palestinians by building more illegal homes.
As an American, I hope he is expelled from office like an olive pit. His actions over the years have severely damaged a policy for a two-state solution. Last week I read news reports where he encouraged Jewish Pride, the racist party of Rabbi Meir Kahane which encourages hatred of Arabs, to enter his coalition.
Then there is the Genesis Prize, an embarrassing $1 million annual scheme that Netanyahu concocted to dole out to wealthy American Jews whom he perceives as ‘valuable’. This year’s winner is, none other than Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. He’s just been criminally charged for paying a trafficked slave in Palm Beach to perform sex acts on him. (Wow.)
Netanyahu will, no doubt, accuse his political adversaries of a witch-hunt. But with justice leading the way he will be saying those words as he also spits into the wind.
This time, with the election, it looks like some wind of change has brushed across Isreal. And for good reason, as what Netanyahu did in the final hours of the campaign were deceitful. Netanyahu and his party have:
– Made racist, unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud by Arab citizens of Israel.
– Deployed racist robocalls warning of high turnout by Arab voters.
– Violated laws against electioneering on Election Day.
To secure a victory Netanyahu proved he would go to any ends to win–even using the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War, as a tool. There is no way any reasonable voter could support the reckless candidate with his disregard for international norms that included holding permanently acquiring territory through war, or using military might against poor populations. All of that is reprehensible.
Netanyahu is just another black eye for Zionists.
And today he lost his chance to outrun the law.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 