Netanyahu, or: Not

Posted on by ben Alexander

My first Clogyrnach

Once again, we head to the polls;
Each pol drags the rest through the coals;
Our PM’s on trial;
Likud’s in de Nile;
We taste bile
In our souls

This is our fourth(!) vote in two years,
Not that our top leadership cares;
Clinging to power,
While voters here sour
And glower
At vile smears

64 thoughts on “Netanyahu, or: Not”

  4. It’s just insane how the voters hang onto a cult like figure. We’ve seen it in the USA, in my own country and Israel.
    In the USA the cult figure is religious and wealthy, the epitome of prosperity. In my country it is tribalistic and in Israel. What makes Netenyahu do powerful. The one thread that runs through all three countries and their cult figures is corruption. It blows one’s mind that these are the voters’ choices in USA, Mzansi and Israeli, powerful men steeped in corruption.
    Clogyrnach at it’s best here. You speak to all our frustrations here and in my case the utter willful ignorance of the people who refuse to open new doors.

    1. The situation here is so unhealthy. People are voting either pro- or anti-Netanyahu, rather than what is good for the country. And the only government he can hope to form is one with all of the most extreme elements of the right-wing. I’m center-right myself so I have no problem with “right-wing” per se – but he is courting bigots and getting them into the Knesset with his machinations. It’s disgusting.

      1. But clearly in western politics right wing and centre right breeds corruption and cult figures. Socialist politics have never really taken root in western societies even though labour parties are labelled as such. So I really don’t know.

          1. I feel differently about it. Right wing politics in western settings have always but always bred corruption. Its spun out of control. Trumpism in America is alive and well, so is right wing tribalism in Mzansi. It’s a bloody disaster.

            1. There is a difference between ‘right-wing’ and ‘nationalistic’, although there is overlap.

              Also, there was plenty of corruption in Israel during its first several decades when it was under left-wing control.

              1. No David, it’s been proven over and over again that right wing politics or ideology and nationalism are two sides of the same coin

                  1. If we must David. It’s clear for the whole world to see that Right wing governments are an account for the massive wealth gap in populations across the whole globe. In this age of modern technology we only feeling and seeing the harrowing detailed pictures of nationalism fanned by right wing politics and conservatism.
                    But you right we see with different eyes.

                    1. Abi, I’m not so into political debates – that was much more my father’s inclination. But I would point out that many dictatorial and oppressive and murderous regimes have been left-wing throughout the course of human history.

  5. Wonderful rhyming expression of total frustration with the whole political scene! Why can’t our governments be nice, get it right, and move on to something constructive? Wishful thinking…

              1. Good to hear.

                I had a successful blog but had to delete it a week ago due to censorship on WordPress which left me unable to interact with my followers properly, like posts or grow my blog. The growth stagnated and it was tormenting me so I deleted it and here we are.. 🌹

                  1. They said I was a spam-bot and also emailed saying they would never answer my emails ever again. I was blocked indefinitely with no proper reason given. I was treated like dirt.. “Happiness Engineers” (😂🤭). I put blood, sweat and tears into the previous blog, it was doing do well but everything in life is transient, a universe teaching not to get attached to things overly. 🙏

    1. Maybe, but I don’t quite see how yet.

      We’ll have to wait for the final results. I just pray that he won’t be able to easily arrive at 61 (a majority) of Knesset seats without making major concessions to parties that I consider sane and responsible.

      -David

        1. It’s so awesome that Bibi is stuck between the Islamists and the Kahanists! Makes me happy! I so hope he won’t be able to get to 61, given those dynamics.

          1. Yes, it’s what the commentators have been saying here. What was it, 33 seats he’s got out of the 61 he needs? Barely half. It’s hardly a mandate, even if he does manage to form a govt. One of the pitfalls of proportional representation.

              1. And if he does get to form a govt the pack will be screaming, look at Israel, what a fascist country voting for someone like that. They tactfully ignore the vast majority who voted for someone else. And in a fascist dictatorship, who ever gets a choice?

                1. There’s talk of many the disparate factions getting together (they need 61 votes) just to pass a law that sets term limits so that Bibi can’t run again in the 5th round. We’ll see.

                    1. Putin has much more power than Netanyahu. Russia is not truly a democracy. Netanyahu is a brilliant, manipulative politicians, but he can be deposed if the political stars align, and he can’t prevent that.

                    3. Yes. We wouldn’t have a political party of Islamists who want a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital holding the balance of political power right now if we weren’t living in a democracy.

                    4. The logic of that though appears too difficult for some to grasp. It’s hard living with the malicious ignorance of certain Islamic/Islamist groups. And it plays the game of the far right too.

  10. Politics is a subject that fuels many a poet and pundit. I can only hope your political woes are nothing compared to the turmoil of the political scene in the US.

    1. Sadly, Muri, being a citizen of both countries, it feels to me that the situation (politically) in Israel is worse right now. Here, we’ve also got that horrible division, but it’s centered around one man’s personality, and he can’t quite manage to pull together a government, despite repeated attempts at elections. Four in two years – that’s irresponsible on so many levels!

      -David

  11. Really well synopsized. I knew little of current Israeli politics ’till reading this post. Knowing nothing other than what is said in the articles your links lead to, the vibe I got from the image of the president (in the CNN article) was: “slick.”

    1. Lia, do you mean the Prime Minister? Netanyahu? If so, then, yes – if nothing else, he’s truly a political genius. It’s amazing what he is able to do in terms of getting votes, despite his legal woes and despite all of his political opponents.

      -David

      1. Yes! I meant Netanyahu. (How could I get that wrong? We in Canada have a prime minister too). Well, it sounds pretty dismal… guess all we can do is still hope/pray for the best for Israel… the Serenity prayer comes to mind in times like these.

            1. In the USA, a President can get voted out, but in Israel it’s more complicated because we don’t elect a Prime Minister – we vote for parties and the parties then have to negotiate to designate a Prime Minister. And nobody other than Netanyahu seems to have much of a chance of forming an alternative government.

              Depressing.

              1. It’s awful to feel powerless in the face of bad stuff like this… very depressing indeed. Though it can’t help much, sending hug.

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