The Likud primaries are rapidly approaching and the time to make a choice is just about on top of Likud members. In so many ways the words spoken by both Netanyahu and Feiglin are very similar, especially at those times that Netanyahu is not the Israeli Prime Minister. And that is where the comparison becomes somewhat muddled. Many believe that Netanyahu is one of the best orators in explaining the Israeli positions and in defining the overt threats facing Israel from state backed terrorists when he is running for office. So, who makes for the better choice to lead the party and very possibly become the next Prime Minister of Israel should Likud be chosen to form the next coalition, or win a majority outright (as if that is likely or even possible)? This is a more difficult decision than I will make it, but then I’m just going to make arguments and not actually choose, just present my opinions which are likely worth what you paid to read them, little to nothing. So, here goes.
As stated above, Netanyahu is very good at presenting and giving moving speeches supporting Israel as the Jewish State. He is fluent in both Hebrew and English, the latter serving him well in dealing with the United States and many European countries. Such glowing words would make one think that the choice would be easy, but not so fast. Feiglin is also well spoken and shows equal understanding as to Israeli problems and often expresses very similar positions as Netanyahu when campaigning. In so many ways the two men seem very similar so the difference is that we have witnessed one of them in the office of Prime Minister, twice, and the other has yet to hold that office. This makes the question simple; does one think that Feiglin would do a superior job as Prime minister than Netanyahu has performed in his two separate terms in the high office?
I have great and deep respect for Netanyahu. He served in one of the most elite of groups in the IDF and has served Israel with great dedication as an ambassador of exemplary abilities. It has only been when he holds the office of Prime Minister that he appears to fall short. I do not intend disrespect or to minimize the pressures, demands, and compromises that are demanded of a Prime Minister. With a Parliamentary system the Prime Minister has to be all things to all members of his coalition while also serving all the members of Israeli society. Anybody could easily be torn asunder from such competing pressures and factions pulling one in a dozen different directions all at once. I do not even wish to pretend I can understand serving in an office with so many competing demands where failing any one or two of them spell the end of the coalition and the end of being Prime Minister. Add that being Prime Minister of any coalition, even those rare times of emergency or great threat where Israel actually has a general consensus government, though those seem to fall apart the fastest or suffer greatly from divided leadership, is a tricky position requiring the Prime Minister to be a man who wears numerous hats and must wear them all well. Prime minister of Israel is not a job to be envied though it does seem that many think they can do it better than whoever is the current Prime Minister, and this goes for almost every government Israel has had for quite some time. I often think it is easier to be the leader of the opposition, though being the opposition leader does require a bit more than simply saying “No” to every action taken by the Prime Minister (Ms. Livni please take note).
What I guess I am aiming at is that I have found Netanyahu to serve Israel with greater skill when not holding the office of Prime Minister, but that has been true of many who have been Prime Minister. Would Feiglin prove to be a superior Prime Minister to Netanyahu? I do not know. What I am sure is that we have seen two periods with Netanyahu as Prime Minister but have obviously never seen Feiglin in that office. So, if one is satisfied with Prime Minister Netanyahu, then they have an easy decision and will likely support retaining Netanyahu as head of Likud. But what about people like myself who had hoped that Netanyahu would have performed vastly better the second time around and have only been disappointed with his results. What makes it even more disappointing is that as Prime Minister, Netanyahu has fallen victim to the same pressures from the same people and places as ruined his first time in office.
The problems once again came from the far left in Israel and the Democrat President of the United States. Similarly to Netanyahu’s first time as Prime minister he attempted to mollify the demands from the left, and even the far left, by surrendering to their demands as he attempted to satisfy everybody regardless of their intentions and be all things to all people. He granted and succumbed to the demands of the social protests this past summer seemingly without regard that the main goal of the protest leaders was to bring down his coalition. There was no possible path to satisfy those who only desire your head on a plate. He has also attempted to dance around the obvious problems that are President Obama and his intent to divorce Israel from the foreign policy of the United States as much as possible while not losing the American Jewish vote entirely. Since a large number of American Progressives place their loyalty to the Democrat Party above their ties to Israel, Jerusalem, and religious Judaism, this was an attainable goal for President Obama. Had Prime Minister Netanyahu actually stood up against the embarrassments heaped upon him by President Obama, he could have likely prevented much of the problem as there are still a majority of Jews in the United States that would have rallied to such a call.
So, we know exactly what we can expect from Netanyahu as Prime Minister. What we need to assess is whether we can expect and actually receive a better performance as Prime Minister from Feiglin. If the answer is a definitively affirmative, then obviously we need to place Feiglin at the head of Likud. If we answer that question negatively, then we need to retain Netanyahu as the leader of Likud. The real dilemma is for those of us who are in the position of not knowing whether or not Feiglin would be an improvement or not. Those of us in this predicament need to weigh the characters, strength of will, personalities, proclivities, and plain old chutzpah and choose the one who proves in our minds would be the superior choice for Prime Minister. If all else fails, you can go by the old adage of “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know,” or do as I would and decide that we have tried Netanyahu as Prime minister twice and felt short-changed; so may as well try the new guy, Feiglin.
Beyond the Cusp
