The meaning of the apology offered by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman after the crude tongue lashing he gave President Barack Obama on Aug. 5 regarding the Iranian nuclear agreement, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s swift disavowal of Liberman's remarks, goes beyond the arena of US-Israeli relations. One can assume that the political echelon will from now on be careful in mentioning the words “nuclear Iran.” Along with its Iranian enemy, the Israeli right is soon going to be losing its “American enemy,” Barack Hussein Obama. It will take a few months and several new West Bank settlement outposts before the next US president can be portrayed as an Israel basher. So who’s left?
Netanyahu has reconciled with Turkey and has kindly suggested that Israel’s Arab citizens should prosper. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is out for the count, and the Israeli left doesn’t count. How much mileage can Netanyahu get out of blasting Hamas and inciting against left-wing organizations? True, Netanyahu will always have Naftali Bennett, chairman of HaBayit HaYehudi, as a punching bag, but a partner in the governing coalition, especially a religious Jew, cannot be portrayed as a true enemy. Therefore, once again the “leftist mafia” has been designated the role of Trojan horse.