Netanyahu plays the Iran card in Israeli politics
Can Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adjust to the possible change offered by the agreement with Iran?
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the cameras on Sunday morning (Nov. 24) at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, and, with severe demeanor, denounced the agreement between the superpowers and Iran as a historic mistake, he was speaking to Israeli public opinion.
That very same morning, the agreement with Iran, which was signed in Geneva, was already a fait accompli, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s expression of outrage and offense couldn’t change a thing.
Netanyahu knew this, of course, but with his outcry he attempted to earn points among the Israeli public. He wanted to maximize his unique position as the responsible adult in the government of Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, and to portray himself as a leader who puts himself and his international stature at risk in order to fulfill the task of ensuring the security of Israel, the well fortified bulwark against evil and against the world.
Netanyahu actually did what he has been doing for years, since his time as chairman of the opposition (2006-09) and later as prime minister: He's using the Iranian nuclear project for internal political needs.
