Benjamin Netanyahu is a certified liar. Not for nothing did Bezalel Smotrich, who is now his finance minister, call the prime minister “a lying son of a liar.” So there would seem to be no reason for me to be alarmed by yet another of his blatant lies regarding his failure in the 2006 election. But when I saw the lie becoming “truth” for the public as well as for journalists, I decided that it’s time to revisit the facts.
Bibi was recently interviewed on U.S. television, and spoke about the time he served as Ariel Sharon’s finance minister (2003-05). He told how he reduced social benefits and cut the budget, and added that his harsh edicts lost him the next election. But the truth is different. His election defeat was not the result of any cuts. The fact is that he was considered an economic success.
In August 2005 Sharon evacuated the Gaza Strip’s Gush Katif settlements, while facing harsh opposition in Likud, leading him, in November, to leave the party and found Kadima. He attracted leading Likud politicians and prominent figures such as Shimon Peres to the new party, and all the polls predicted great success in the March 2006 election. But in January 2006 Sharon suffered a major stroke, and Ehud Olmert replaced him as head of Kadima. In his campaign Olmert promised a “convergence” or “realignment” plan in the West Bank, to public support. There was a sense that a peace agreement with the Palestinians was within reach. That’s why Kadima won 29 Knesset seats.
In the face of this hope Likud, led by Bibi, offered a vision of blood and fire. Bibi opposed the “realignment” and rejected any contact with the Palestinians. That meant a continuation of the attacks, terrorism and hopelessness. That’s why he won only 23 Knesset seats and lost the premiership. Bibi wants to conceal the real reason. It’s much more heroic to present himself as an economic revolutionary who paid a price for the reforms he initiated rather than as a warmonger. And that, incidentally, teaches us that when an attractive, charismatic and courageous leader arises, promising an agreement with the Palestinians, Israelis will follow them as they followed Sharon and Olmert.
It’s clear that Bibi is not this kind of leader. He is all about fleeing from risk and all his efforts are directed at not making waves, in order to keep his seat. From his perspective, a lie is a legitimate tool for entrenching his rule, and that’s also why he lies time after time regarding the previous government’s allocations to Israel’s Arab communities. Bibi says his predecessors Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid “gave the Muslim Brotherhood 53 billion shekels” ($14 billion). That’s a lie. Arab communities were promised 28 billion shekels over five years, in allocations earmarked to improve employment, public transportation, education and housing – that is, for economic growth.
Bibi also conceals the fact that this program is a continuation of a five-year plan that he launched in 2015, when he allocated 15 billion shekels to the Arab community. The funny part of the story is that now, in spite of the false propaganda, Netanyahu approved the continued implementation of the five-year plan, without subtracting a single shekel.
And if we’re talking about blatant lies, we’ll also mention his character assassination of Bennett over renovations to Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, which served as the prime minister’s residence during his term. Bibi told everyone the renovation cost 50 million shekels, but the Prime Minister’s Office recently reported that the renovation in Bennett’s home cost only 163,000 shekels, which was used to turn the basement into a secure office. The rest of the money – 25 million shekels, not 50 million – went toward security upgrades that were ordered by the Shin Bet security service.
Last week Netanyahu said the state budget is “proper and responsible.” Another lie. The budget is bad and reckless. It takes the economy backward, encourages not working, harms growth and increases the cost of living. But what can you expect from someone whose ally, Smotrich, called “a lying son of a liar.”
Netanyahu, Israel's Leading Pathological Liar
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31.05.2023
Benjamin Netanyahu is a certified liar. Not for nothing did Bezalel Smotrich, who is now his finance minister, call the prime minister “a lying son of a liar.” So there would seem to be no reason for me to be alarmed by yet another of his blatant lies regarding his failure in the 2006 election. But when I saw the lie becoming “truth” for the public as well as for journalists, I decided that it’s time to revisit the facts.
Bibi was recently interviewed on U.S. television, and spoke about the time he served as Ariel Sharon’s finance minister (2003-05). He told how he reduced social benefits and cut the budget, and added that his harsh edicts lost him the next election. But the truth is different. His election defeat was not the result of any cuts. The fact is that he was considered an economic success.
In August 2005 Sharon evacuated the Gaza Strip’s Gush Katif settlements, while facing harsh opposition in Likud, leading him, in November, to leave the party and found Kadima. He attracted leading Likud politicians........
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