“Netanyahu never overestimated his voters’ collective wisdom. He was a master at playing on their primordial fears, inflaming their spirits and arousing hatred for his rivals. That’s how he won elections, time and again. Now he’s pulling out the only rabbit he has left, the good old blame game, in a bid to reach a third election with some kind of public support.”

“This is a total delusion. He is a prime minister suspected of criminal acts who refuses to leave his position and go about his affairs. Yes, Israel has become one of those states we never believed we’d be like.”

“Netanyahu is playing an absurd, transparent game. On Thursday morning, at the official memorial ceremony for Shimon Peres, he virtually threw himself into Benny Gantz’s arms and invited him to form a national unity government, hinting at an agreement in which the premiership would rotate between them. Hours later, he had the leaders of the right wing-parties sign a mutual pact binding them all together in any future government. All for one, and one for all.”

“Later, when Gantz and his party leaders responded with the appropriate dismissal of this nonsense, he issued a statement of regret over Gantz’s refusal to meet him. With all due respect, these are death spasms. Netanyahu is putting on an act of controlling the situation, but his bluff is obvious. As long as Netanyahu is a bone stuck in the political system’s throat, no serious negotiation will begin on a national government, which under the current circumstances is the only solution to the state’s paralysis.”

“Netanyahu’s confidant, Minister Yariv Levin, who heads the joint coalition negotiating team for the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, told one party leader on Thursday: “There’ll be no negotiation, and if there is, nothing will come of it.”

President in the crosshairs

“The rotation story is so fallacious it’s hard to believe anyone can take it seriously. We had a deal like that in 1984, between Peres and Shamir. Peres honored the rotation deal. In 1990, in the midst of the second, rotation-less unity government, he got over it and carried out the so-called “dirty trick” that dismantled the government. Gantz knows, as does everyone else, that in every scenario of unity with Netanyahu and his Likud gang, one must expect a trick a thousand times dirtier.”

“Gantz beat Netanyahu in this election. Unequivocally, his party is bigger, and so is his bloc. He will become a laughingstock if he breaks all his promises and renounces his positions in exchange for the defense portfolio in Bibi’s fifth government. His achievement leaves him no room to compromise.”

“The deeper one digs in the hole we’ve fallen into, the more one understands there’s no solution to this imbroglio. Only a plea bargain for Netanyahu, enabling him a respectable retirement, with no prison time, might pave the way to a solution. Another option is to replace Netanyahu in Likud’s leadership. This is an extremely difficult process. It is doubtful whether the time frame enables it.”

“There will be no rotation, because for Netanyahu there’s no scenario but being first in office. As bait, he may offer his partners to elect him, in a year and eight months’ time, as president, who has full immunity from facing charges for his entire seven-year tenure. This strange idea was heard this week, behind closed doors.”

“Granted, Netanyahu may be in the midst of trial by then and perhaps the legal question will arise whether immunity applies retroactively as well. He will deal with it when the time comes. The household at Balfour Street supports the idea. It will enable Sara to turn into the real “first lady,” a title she insists on bearing, even though she isn’t.”

Party’s over

“Netanyahu knew he didn’t have 61 Knesset seats. The hysteria this time was a real red alert. The panic he projected wasn’t pretended. On this subject, at least, he didn’t lie to his voters. None of the external polls showed the right-wing-ultra-Orthodox bloc achieving the magic number-of-salvation – nor did the in-depth surveys conducted for him by John McLaughlin, the highly respected pollster of U.S. President Donald Trump.”