He’s a politician, but not just any politician.
His biography is what you’d expect from the protagonist of a best selling political
fiction novel.
However...
my friends, this is a flesh and blood politician, with both a good side and a dark side.
We’re talking about Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister and the most powerful
politician the country has had in
the last 2 decades.
But... you may be wondering, why are we talking about Netanyahu?
Why is he so important?
Well, folks, what if I told you that this man was the architect who basically designed
the Israel we all know today?
Yes, you heard that right.
We’re talking about a politician who has so much character that he actually attacked
the very president of the United States in front of his own Congress.
Yes, this happened to Barack Obama.
Don’t tell me
that isn’t one tough guy.
Well, the
fact is that Benjamin Netanyahu, or Bibi, as he’s known in Israel, has done practically
everything in his country.
During his time as a soldier –remember, military service is mandatory in Israel – he
commanded a special forces unit... and participated in lots of operations like the ones we see
in movies, with Hollywood-worthy names like:
Operation Inferno and operation Isotope, where, by the way, Netanyahu was shot while he and
his unit rescued a plane hijacked by the terrorist group The Black September Organization
And as a soldier, he also participated in operations in Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
But... that’s not all.
After finishing his military service, this Prime Minister went to the United States to
study.
Where?
Well... in no other than, first, MIT, and then Harvard.
By the way, here’s some curious trivia.
In 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Netanyahu,
who was studying in Boston, returned home to re-join the special bodies forces until
the war ended.
But... let's continue.
The fact is that after studying in the United States and spending some time working in consulting,
he got involved in politics...
where, again, he’s done everything... he has been a member of parliament, an Ambassador
to the UN, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance and, of course, Prime Minister
for 4 terms.
In fact, my friends, he’s about to become the Israeli Prime Minister with the longest
term in office.
However, now his position of influence and power is being questioned…
So, let's take a look at what’s happening and why this man is an election-winning machine.
(CORNERED)
On February 12th, 2018, after a year of investigations, the Israeli police recommended the Attorney
General bring charges against Benjamin Netanyahu.
See, the police state that there are clear indications of corruption, bribes and influence
peddling.
They accuse the Prime Minister of having received gifts of hundreds of thousands of dollars;
of having conspired to influence the media; and also, of having protected millionaire
corruption in the multimillion-dollar process of buying German submarines.
And, you know what?
This isn’t the first time that the Israeli Police accused him.
They also did it in 1997 and again in 1999, during Netanyahu’s first term as Prime Minister.
Back then, the accusations ended with no charges... and now again the Prime Minister has made
it very clear that he won’t yield.
(“Nothing will have sway and nothing will sway me, not even the incessant attacks against
me”.
Benjamin Netanyahu.)
The truth is that whether or not he’s finally accused, Netanyahu is on the line.
By the way, in Israel, nobody is immune to justice.
In the last decade they have condemned and imprisoned a former prime minister, Ehud Olmert,
and an ex-president, Moshe Katzav.
So... if Netanyahu is guilty, he will pay.
Therefore, my friends, in this video we’ll get to know Israel’s prime minister better,
take a look at his good and bad sides and investigate what made Netanyahu such an important
character in Israel’s politics.
(KING BIBI: THE SAVIOR)
Netanyahu may not be the most amiable or popular guy on the planet, but... one thing is certain...
Every time Bibi has come to power he’s done so under very… very difficult conditions.
See, during his first term, when he came to power in 1996, the country was greatly unbalanced,
with an uncontrolled public deficit and a growing external debt.
In 2003, when he was appointed Minister of Finance under Ariel Sharon’s government,
the country was undergoing its worst recession.
And the most current time was in 2009... just when the country was suffering the consequences
of the great international financial crisis.
Well... in all these cases Netanyahu's recipes worked.
And not only that: with his policies, Bibi has transformed this country’s identity.
Thanks largely to his governance, Israel has gone from being a place with chronic imbalances
and crises, a country that in 1984 had to be rescued by the United States...
to becoming a prosperous country, with well-organized accounts and a worldwide power in technology
and innovation...
Through all this, we can understand how, despite all the controversy, Bibi continues to raise
passions, some against him, but many in favor of him.
But many of you may be thinking...
Okay, but what were or, rather, what are Benjamin Netanyahu’s recipes?
Well, here they are.
Traditionally, Israel was a socialist country, with high taxes, a lot of regulation and a
huge government.
Well, Bibi’s mission was to change this model once and for all and enforce another
that would organize the accounts and improve the country's competitiveness.
Check this out.
( “You think that mathematicians and computer engineers or mechanical engineers or doctors
are first.
They’re very important, but they’re not first.
They’re second.
There was a country that had the best mathematicians, the best physicists, the best metallurgists
in the world.
But that country was very poor.
It’s called the Soviet Union.
What comes first is markets.
This was the main thing that I tried to bring to the Israeli economy, in my own way”.
Benjamin Netanyahu.)
With this idea in mind, in his first mandate in 1996, his number one priority was to reduce
the public deficit, privatize banks and large government-owned companies; and suppress capital
controls.
For example, at that time, Israelis had a restriction on the money they could take out
of the country and for buying foreign currency.
Yes, we could say that the Israel of the early 90s resembled Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's
Argentina: A lot of public spending and capital controls.
But... let's continue.
In 2003, when the country was undergoing a terrible crisis, as Minister of Finance...
a minister of finance with a lot of power, Netanyahu froze public spending and launched
a huge tax reduction.
For example, he reduced corporate income tax, as well as individual income tax, by half.
See, when he arrived at the Ministry, the maximum rate on income, in terms of wages,
was 64%.
When he left it was 44%.
A 20 point reduction in 2 years!
And when he came to power in 2009, he had a similar recipe... less public spending,
fewer taxes and less bureaucracy.
In addition, in recent years, he managed to get Israel, once and for all, to exploit its
huge Natural Gas reserves.
(“Israel bolsters Egypt ties with $15bn gas deal”.
Financial Times.)
It was precisely because of this that many believe Israel’s miracle would not have
been possible without this Prime Minister.
But don’t think that he only had good results in the economic sector... not at all.
( “In the 37 months that Netanyahu held office, Israeli citizens enjoyed one of the
safest and quietest periods with regards to terrorism...
Of the five Israeli leaders examined [Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu, Barak, Sharon], Netanyahu’s
policies with regards to the prevention and deterrence of terrorism...were the most effective”.
Study by The Institute of Policy and Strategy, The Lauder School and Interdisciplinary Center
Herzliya, 2002.)
Indeed, in addition to the economy, Israeli society recognizes Netanyahu as having made
Israel a safer country.
A safer country and also, very importantly, a country that is much more open to the world...
So much so that this Prime Minister has succeeded, and listen up because I think this will amaze
you, in getting relations between Israel and the Arab countries to go…
well... smoothly.
Wait a second, Israel and the Arab countries?
Let's look into this.
(THE EXTERNAL APPROACH)
Do you know the popular saying?
“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”
Well... it looks like something like this is happening in the Middle East... with Iran
and with fundamentalist groups like ISIS.
Check out the news that the New York Times published on February 3rd, 2018.
(“Secret Alliance: Israel Carries Out Airstrikes in Egypt, With Cairo’s O.K”.
New York Times.)
Pay close attention to this news bomb.
In the last 2 years, Israel has carried out more than a hundred aerial attacks with planes,
helicopters and drones against fundamentalist groups in Egypt, particularly against the
so-called Islamic State of Sinai.
That is, an Arab government, in this case the Egyptian government, has authorized Israel
to carry out attacks and operations within its territory.
Amazing!
But that’s not all.
Israel's relations with Jordan and Egypt are better than ever, but they’re also growing
stronger with the other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Yes, you heard that right.
Now, they still aren’t formal, but… they are happening behind closed doors.
(: “There is an alignment of Israel and other countries in the Middle East that would
have been unimaginable 10 years ago.
Certainly in my life time, I never saw anything like it and I'm at the age of the State of
Israel more or less, so it's an extraordinary thing”.
Benjamin Netanyahu.)
Do you want another example?
Well, listen up,
After 70 years of prohibition, and for the first time, Saudi Arabia has authorized an
Israeli commercial flight to cross its airspace.
Since March, Air India flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv will cross Saudi airspace.
This may seem like a small step... but... it’s not.
And you know what?
It’s not just the Arab countries.
This Prime Minister has set his sights on the East and has established surprisingly
good relations with India, Australia, Singapore and even China.
What’s more, Netanyahu led the first visit of an Israeli Prime Minister to Latin America.
In 2017 he visited Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.
And in Africa, more of the same.
In fact, Netanyahu is the first Israeli leader to visit this continent since the 1960s...
and many African leaders are delighted with Israel's money and technology.
( “I saw diversity and richness.
I saw passion and productivity.
I saw young African entrepreneurs who are building companies harnessing the power of
the digital age.
Africans are seizing the future.
Israel wants to seize this future with you.”
Benjamin Netanyahu.)
In short, as you can see, both in the economic field, as in security and foreign policy,
this Prime Minister has many reasons to be proud.
But of course…
not everything is a bed of roses.
(THE DARK SIDE.)
We’ve denounced it here on VisualPolik.
One of Benjamin Netanyahu’s greatest dark sides, in addition to his corruption suspicions,
is his position towards the West Bank settlements.
Yes, Netanyahu supports these settlements’ continual growth, and as we saw, in recent
years his government has promoted a policy to expand and consolidate them.
( “In its more than three years in power, this government has been irrational, bordering
on messianic.
It is now increasingly clear where it is headed: creeping annexation of the West Bank aimed
at precluding any permanent separation from the Palestinians.”
Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel.)
And besides the settlements, Netanyahu’s power relations with some magnates are also...
how should I put it?
Questionable.
For example, his friend and gambling mogul, Sheldon Adelson, invested $200 million in
the Israel Hayom, a free newspaper that greatly favors Netanyahu.
The question is, will he have to return these favors?
Another significant part of Netanyahu's dark side has to do with his way of doing politics.
Bibi is a tough opponent who has no qualms about attacking his rivals through all possible
means.
That is precisely what he did in 1995 with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, whom he accused,
among many other things, of betraying Jewish values.
The tension he generated was so great that many detractors blame him for fueling the
hatred that ended with Rabin's murder at the hands of an extremist.
His critics say that Netanyahu didn’t pull the trigger, but that his lack of political
piety led to the tragedy.
So that, dear viewers, is the end of this video about a politician who has a dark side…
but also a significantly bright one as well, contributing to make Israel a much more prosperous
country.
But now it’s your turn, what do you think of Benjamin Netanyahu?
Do you think King Bibi has been a good leader for Israel?
Leave your answer in the comments as well as in the survey.
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Also, don’t forget to check out our friends at the Reconsider Media Podcast - they provided
the vocals in this episode that were not mine!
And as always, thanks for watching!