Friedman noted in an article in the New York Times that “Netanyahu deceived US President Joe Biden in repeated talks, who was optimistic about an imminent ceasefire in Gaza, and then (Netanyahu) tells his officials something else.”
“In Washington, officials tell you the truth in private and lie in public. In the Middle East, officials lie to you in private and tell you the truth in public. Never trust what they tell you in private, especially Netanyahu. Only listen to what they tell their people in public, in their own language,” he continues.
“Netanyahu clearly knows that Harris is in a bind,” Friedman says. “If he continues the war in Gaza to complete victory, with more civilian casualties, Harris will either have to criticize him publicly and lose Jewish votes or bite her tongue and lose Arab-American and Muslim votes in the key state of Michigan. Since Harris will likely find it difficult to do either, it will make her look weak in the eyes of American Jews and Arab-Americans.”
“Based on my reporting and all my years of observing Netanyahu, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually escalated the war in Gaza between now and Election Day to make life difficult for Democrats running for president,” he notes. “Netanyahu may do this because, I think, he wants Trump to win and wants to be able to tell Trump that he helped him win.”
Then, if Trump wins, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bibi declares his “complete victory” in Gaza has been achieved, and agrees to a ceasefire.”
“Netanyahu wins. Trump wins. Israel loses. But will the situation in Gaza remain as it is now? Of course, Israeli forces will still occupy it. Israel will become an ever more pariah state, with more and more Israelis leaving, but Bibi will have another term and that’s all that matters to him.”
“Netanyahu’s survival doctrine became even more important after he was indicted in 2019 on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. Now he must remain in power so he doesn’t go to prison if convicted,” he explains.
“These Jewish fanatics (Netanyahu’s ruling coalition) agreed to let Netanyahu be prime minister as long as he maintained permanent Israeli military control over the West Bank and, after October 7, over Gaza as well… Netanyahu got the message. He declared that he would end the war in Gaza after Israel achieved complete victory, but he never specified exactly what that meant… The Israeli military has occupied the West Bank for 57 years and, as the daily clashes make clear, has not achieved a ‘complete victory’ over Hamas militants there… Netanyahu, under the cover of security interests, is essentially protecting his political position. He is fighting for the safety of his ruling coalition, which could collapse if the deal is approved.”
“Then someday in the future, I fully expect Bibi to throw a party to honor his dear friend of many years, President Joe Biden,” Friedman concludes. “It will be a new settlement in Gaza, called in Hebrew “Givat Yosef” or (translated from English to Arabic) “Tel Joe.”
Source: New York Times
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2024-09-04 21:35:09
