In their relentless bid to defuse the stink of an initiative that would extricate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from investigations of suspected criminal wrongdoing, Likud Party members are spraying it with fake French perfume. They are trying to advance a law similar to French legislation that provides serving prime ministers with immunity from police probes. However, they forgot to mention that were Israel to adopt the French legislation in its entirety, the Netanyahu family would have been relegated long ago to their villa and swimming pool in Caesarea and penthouse in Jerusalem’s swank Rehavia neighborhood (and not the prime minister’s official Jerusalem residence), given that in France, prime ministers are limited to two terms.

Netanyahu’s fans need not look that far. They could just as well advocate for a law stipulating that a prime minister named after one of the 12 tribes of Israel (Benjamin, the son of biblical Jacob) cannot be deposed from power. This would be as good a reason as any to prevent Netanyahu from standing trial.

Netanyahu’s Oct. 23 address at the opening of the Knesset’s winter session could serve as an introductory explanation for proposed legislation limiting the terms of Israeli prime ministers. The speech shows that being at the top for too long results in a fear of heights and the incapacity to look down. That is the only explanation for the skewed depiction of reality presented by a man who has held a series of top public service posts, including four terms as prime minister.

To be fair, one should start out by saying that Netanyahu’s depiction of present-day Israel was not a total fallacy. But to quote 18th-century US statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin, “Half a truth is often a great lie.”