Benjamin Netanyahu will take office again as the prime minister of Israel with one last chance to be remembered more for governing successes than for personal failings. U.S. President Joe Biden can help by getting out of Netanyahu’s way.
First, let’s acknowledge that Netanyahu is perhaps the most successful free-world political leader of the past 30 years. This assessment relates not just to his keeping political power, but more importantly, to his use of it for salutary effect both for his nation and for broader peace and freedom.
NETANYAHU GETS ANOTHER SHOT AT POWER, IF HE CAN OVERCOME INTERNAL RIVALRIES
Both as finance minister and as prime minister, Netanyahu used free market and fiscally conservative policies to turn a lethargic economy into a near-miraculous exemplar of growth. And despite all the dire warnings that he would be a reckless warrior, in truth, Netanyahu consistently has combined military strength with caution and diplomacy.
Who would ever have guessed 30 years ago that Israel would have either formal accords or de facto cooperation with so many Arab or Muslim states, including Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia? Netanyahu is largely responsible for all but Egypt and Jordan in that group, and he certainly strengthened (even if not originally forged) the cooperation with the latter. Israel itself is more secure than ever in its 75-year modern history, and the entire region is more stable, while the evil Iranian mullahs are more isolated and now face increasing pressure from their own restless people.
Alas, Netanyahu has left a messy domestic trail behind him. From the perspective of this observer, who isn’t an expert in Israeli law, the alleged transgressions that have Netanyahu under indictment look less inherently illegal than to be instances of either extreme self-indulgence (gifts, cigars) or unethical Machiavellianism (trading favorable access for favorable press coverage). And stories are legion about him being untrustworthy in the realm where the personal and the political intersect, making enemies (or broken political carcasses) of erstwhile allies and supposed proteges.
Netanyahu, at 73, should know that if his coalition holds together for a full four-year term, this really should be his final and triumphant term in office. He should use it to unify, to act less narcissistically, and to groom rather than destroy a possible successor (or several). Netanyahu has a chance to leave Israel in peace and prosperity and to leave behind a sense of grace and shared mission. Indeed, he can serve the former, larger goals of peace and prosperity specifically through efforts to unify Israel’s famously fractious polity.
Meanwhile, Biden shouldn’t try to dictate policy to Netanyahu, nor should he let traditional Democratic distaste for Netanyahu guide U.S. policies in the Middle East. Former President Barack Obama was infamously hostile to Netanyahu, and the antagonism served nobody well. Indeed, it stood in the way of formalizing some of the peace-affirming ties Israel forged with Arab nations. Without such open disdain from the president of the United States, it is likely the Abraham Accords would have been inked years sooner than they were, with concomitant benefits to Middle East stability and thus to world peace.
Israel must be a key U.S. ally, whether or not its prime minister and the U.S. president personally like each other. It would behoove Biden to remember that the great regional threat to peace and freedom comes from Iran and that Israel is a bulwark against it. Only by making common cause with Israel’s government can Biden keep Iran’s nuclear genie in its bottle.
Netanyahu merits U.S. support. With it, he should seek, through wisdom and personal restraint, history’s approbation as one of the modern world’s greatest statesmen.
