“We are turning Israel into a rising global power,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bragged on Nov. 13 in the Knesset plenary. “There has never been anything like this in our history.” Indeed, let us look at what Israel's illustrious statesman has done in just one week, as he outlined in his speech.
He met with an envoy of Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe who brought with him an invitation for Netanyahu to visit his country. He received a warm missive from “another friend,” US President Donald Trump, who thanked Israel for its support of his position on the Iranian nuclear program. Netanyahu received a congratulatory note from Chinese President Xi Jinping for the burgeoning special relationship with Israel. He also made preparations for a visit to India and spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition to all of the above, Netanyahu had time for a call to the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss “important security matters,” of course. What else could they talk about? A Palestinian state? Renewed negotiations with the Palestinians?