The Israeli government is accusing the Biden national security team of trying to overthrow Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in favor of a more malleable head of state.
Wednesday, an unsigned statement attributed to a “top Israeli official” was quoted by Israeli media.
“Israeli citizens, and not anyone else, elect the prime minister,” the statement said.
“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who choose the government.
“We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel.”
Israeli media did not name the source but the country’s Channel 12 described the statement as coming from “the most senior Israeli political source you can imagine”.
Monday, a report released by the US Intelligence Community called the Annual Threat Assessment hypothesized that Netanyahu could be forced out of office.
“Netanyahu’s viability as leader as well as his governing coalition of far-right and ultraorthodox parties that pursued hard-line policies on Palestinian and security issues may be in jeopardy,” said the assessment, part of a 40-page report on global threats from Gaza and Ukraine to terrorism and cyberspace that was released Monday.
“Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,” it continued. “A different, more moderate government is a possibility.”
There is no secret about Biden’s displeasure with Netanyahu. Israel’s fierce response to the horror of October 7 has damaged Biden’s standing with the considerable anti-Israel wing of the Democrat party. The White House has been pressuring Netanyahu to cease offensive operations in Gaza and provide aid to get Hamas back on its feed.
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This is not Biden’s first rodeo when it comes to ousting Netanyahu. Recall that in 2015, Obama tried to prevent Netanyahu’s election by dispatching soyboys and sexual deviants from the DNC to Israel to work against him.
The White House’s hope to replace Netanyahu with former Defense Minister and Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz took a shot to the teeth Monday—Gantz, who is perceived as much softer on Hamas and the Palestinian Authority than Netanyahu. Perhaps prompted by the US intelligence slam at Netanyahu, Gideon Sa’ar, the former Likud member who now leads the “New Hope” party as part of Gantz’s opposition, decided to abandon the opposition coalition and seek closer ties with Netanyahu.
Hours after the US “Intelligence Community” published their “consensus” report that Netanyahu is about to be toppled with mass protests (that the IC has nothing to do with organizing, of course), another party joined Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) March 13, 2024
From my marginal understanding of Israeli parliamentary politics, this makes a collapse of Netanyahu’s government and, with it, Gantz’s accession to the prime ministership much less likely.
