Netanyahu's Actions - Cui bono?
He is an evil man out for himself, an enemy of peace ... and of Israel
As we wait to see where Iran’s launching of drones (and perhaps more) against Israel leads, the time is long overdue to ask why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been doing many of the things he has done over the past year and more.
Let’s review some facts about the man and what has been happening:
■ Netanyahu is a right-wing thug ~ to Trump, differing from him mainly by having a brain and the capability of speaking the English language.
■ Like Trump, he is utterly corrupt and facing trials and likely imprisonment.
■ A war may be his only chance to stay in power.
■ Netanyahu favored keeping the Hamas terrorists in control in Gaza so he could avoid a two-state solution. He encouraged Qatar to give Hamas financial support.
■ He ignored warnings for a year that Hamas was preparing the sort of vicious attack it carried out on October 7, and when it occurred, his government failed for many hours to do anything to help the victims.
■ Netanyahu supports his fellow authoritarian Trump, but when President Biden went to Israel to show support for the Israeli people in the wake of the monstrous horror, Netanyahu literally embraced him, creating the impression that the American president supports him personally, rather than the State of Israel and Jewish people.
■ Though if it had not been for Netanyahu’s highly questionable policies and (in)actions, the horror of October 7th might never have happened, when it did Israel had to retaliate against Hamas.
■ Netanyahu proceeded to use excessive force in invading Gaza. One thing that he and Hamas have in common is that neither of them give a damn about Palestinian lives.
■ A humanitarian disaster in Gaza has resulted, Netanyahu has prevented food and medicine deliveries from getting to the people in Gaza, many of whom are literally starving.
■ In February, Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist government announced a plan to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a provocative move in the opposite direction from peace and a two-state solution.
■ On April 1, the Netanyahu government carried out an airstrike on a building next to the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Sixteen people, including a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed. Doing this in the midst of the calamity in Gaza was almost certain to cause an escalation increasing the prospects for a wider war.
All of the last three actions go against what the United States wants, but Netanyahu seems to think he can do whatever he wants.
The question used in trying to determine who may be behind a crime is Cui bono? – who benefits?
Netanyahu’s primary wants are similar to those of Donald Trump: Keeping out of prison and staying in (in Trump’s case regaining) power.
A wider war could help Netanyahu in those objectives.
Others who benefit include Hamas, Vladimir Putin, possibly Iran, and other dictators.
What should the Biden Administration do? It’s a terrible situation. The survival of Israel is essential. The survival of the Netanyahu government is not; in fact, it is clearly a threat to the nation. How to support Israel while opposing Netanyahu, that is the question.
I have no answer at this point.
I agree, Bruce. The enormous difficulty is that we must stop Bibi from destroying Israel. Biden should tell--and I hope already has told--Bibi that if he launches any retaliatory attack, the US will pause sending any offensive weapons. The same should already have been used to force him to let aid into Gaza.
The only thing Netanyahu will take seriously is the US cutting off military aid. With Netanyahu‘s personal stake in keeping the war going - and in getting Trump elected - as long as he knows Biden will continue providing ”ironclad“ support for any reckless or criminal thing he does no matter what, he can ignore US demands. And one of Netanyahu’s goals for the last two decades has been to get the US directly involved in a war with Iran.
Now the US is saying that it directly participated militarily in Israel‘s defense against the Iranian attack this weekend. Netanyahu can only see that as another sign that he can ignore any expression of concern or nominal opposition from the Biden Administration.