Pollak: The Psychological Obsession with Benjamin Netanyahu

A friend called me from an anti-Netanyahu rally in Jerusalem recently, excited by the turnout.

“So, have you pushed him out yet?” I teased. “Who will you replace him with?”

“That’s the problem,” my friend mused. “There’s nobody.”

Anti-government protests have started again in Israel, fueled in part by frustration with the lack of a hostage deal, and also encouraged by President Joe Biden. The Biden administration also pushed anti-Netanyahu protests in 2023.

The Democratic Party has long hated Netanyahu. It has found allies in the Israeli opposition, which is seizing the opportunity.

But neither the Americans nor the Israelis who hate him have a real reason to do so.

The opposition to Netanyahu is largely psychological in both cases.

Netanyahu is the only figure in the Middle East who is accountable to an electorate. It is easier to oppose him than the real enemy. It also provides an illusion of control amid chaos.

Democrats oppose Netanyahu for two reasons.

One is that he says no to their utopian, dangerous visions. Netanyahu stood up to President Barack Obama in 2015, for example, when he pushed the Iran nuclear deal past Congress. Although he did not stop the deal, Netanyahu’s arguments provided the basis for President Donald Trump to withdraw from it in 2018.

In recent months, Netanyahu has stood up to Biden’s bizarre push for a Palestinian state in the wake of the October 7 attacks. For that reason, both Obama and Biden have tried to push Netanyahu aside.

The other reason — perhaps the real one — Democrats hate Netanyahu is that he is better at understanding Americans than they are. When Netanyahu addressed Congress in May 2011, he congratulated the U.S. for killing Osama bin Laden. Obama had feared alienating the Muslim world; Netanyahu gave expression to American popular opinion.

Israelis have different reasons for wanting Netanyahu gone. For one thing, he has simply been in office for a long time. Many younger, impatient Israeli leaders feel that Netanyahu has deprived them of their chance to run things.

The Israeli left resents him with particular bitterness, for it has seen its power disappear during Netanyahu’s tenure. Despairing of electoral politics, the left has taken to the street, adopting “color revolution” tactics with U.S. approval.

But when one looks for substance in the anti-Netanyahu protests, there is little to be found. Some of the families of Israeli hostages, for example, claim Netanyahu is blocking a deal. But it is Hamas, not Israel, that has walked away.

Israel’s official opposition, led by Yair Lapid, blames Netanyahu for alienating the U.S. But it was Biden who shunned Netanyahu after his victory — a cruel repayment for Netanyahu congratulating Biden in 2020 (and irritating Trump).

Many Israelis opposed Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms last year. But most acknowledged, after he brought up the issue, that he was right: Israel’s courts are out of control.

The country was served a cruel reminder of that fact when Israel’s Supreme Court decided to force the issue of ultra-Orthodox military service — in the middle of the war.

The fact that Israel’s justice system continues to push weak charges against Netanyahu is an ongoing embarrassment.

Israelis protest Netanyahu because he is the closest target; calling for his removal is a form of coping with tragedy.

It is no use protesting Hamas, and attacking Biden risks further alienating him. A protest against Netanyahu is cost-free, and earns the praise of the media.

It would be a sign of strength for Israel to wait for elections until their scheduled 2026 date.

But if Netanyahu does leave, whoever replaces him will have to imitate him. Whoever that would be.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.