Moshe Kahlon, Israeli finance minister and chairman of Kulanu, is considered one of the politicians most intimately familiar with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's weak spots. He spent years working intensely at his side in Likud, as a Knesset member and later as a minister in Netanyahu's government. This, along with healthy political instincts and a talent for understanding people, has made Kahlon an expert in dealing with Netanyahu and knowing what makes him tick.
Kahlon believes that Netanyahu, at his core, only understands force, that he tends to zigzag and that he folds under pressure, as proven more than a few times in the past. This image of Netanyahu as someone easily pressured and extorted and with a tendency to zigzag has been with him since the beginning of his political career. The person most responsible for shaping this image was the prime minister's greatest rival, the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who frequently called Netanyahu a “panicker.” Netanyahu, in fact, earned the reputation. He often zigzagged and folded, even in coalition negotiations, whenever faced with threats from senior Likud members.
