It’s funny how American and Israeli politics often mirror each other. Just as the President of the United States faces prolonged investigations that have yielded charges and prosecutions of the people around him in an effort to tie him to the type of charges that can remove him from office or derail his reelection campaign, so too is the Prime Minister of Israel contending with multiple prolonged investigations and now an indictment ahead of his reelection bid less than two months from now.
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are both facing “witch hunts,” in their words, and both have serious challenges to their reelection bids as a result.
Just as I support the conservative movement in the United States, so to do I support the conservative movement in Israel. It’s integral to the security of our greatest ally that they maintain a right-leaning perspective in governance that prevents them from succumbing to the United Nations’ incessant drive to dismantle the Jewish state. But it’s important to regard every situation with a sober understanding that flawed men in power will always be the case. Just as President Trump has many, many flaws, so too does Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Does that mean we must support them through their flaws? In some ways, the answer is yes. Here in America, the damage President Trump has done to the moral fabric of the nation is equal to the damage his predecessor did to the ethical core of America. I am not a fan of President Trump, but I recognize he has delivered on some important policies that his alternative would not have done, including cutting taxes, slicing bureaucracy, and moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
There are two reasons why Israelis need to give Netanyahu the same acceptance I’ve given President Trump. First, he’s indicted, not convicted. Calls for him to step down now are ludicrous because an indictment alone is not an indicator of wrongdoing. Second, the alternative to his leadership and the right-wing coalition that backs him is nothing short of suicide for the Jewish state. The perspectives of the left in Israel are not far off from the perspectives of the left in America. The situations are different. The labels are different. But both variations of the left desire a homogenization of their respective nations into a global community that will never benefit us.
Just as the left would tear down America’s sovereignty and annihilate our economy, so too would the left in Israel dismantle the nation’s security and plunge it into untenable situations both militarily and economically.
The charges against Netanyahu are serious, perhaps more serious than what’s being investigated around President Trump. There is a need for justice to be served, but Israel must recognize that justice should only be served if there truly were major crimes committed. Israel’s left is attempting to take down a strong leader for the sake of political expediency. The indictments alone should not be enough to sway votes away from him.
The Israel elections are on April 9. There is no reason for Netanyahu to step down before then. When the elections are held, it’s important that the Israeli people keep him as their Prime Minister. Their very existence as a nation is at stake.
