As I watched the returns being counted in this month’s elections in Israel and the United States and cheered the deservedly big losses handed to each country’s top leaders, I was struck again by how much alike they are and that they were overdue for retirement well before their current terms even began.
That had a lot to do with why they ran for office. Despite an abundance of insincere and lofty campaign rhetoric, it was not to pursue a noble vision of where they sought to lead their nations. It was – and remains – personal. President Donald Trump repeatedly swore “retribution” against his enemies and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to stay out of prison. Both have worked zealously in pursuit of those goals. And so far it has worked.
The courts are, in their paranoid view, a common enemy. Each has orchestrated vile campaigns against judges and investigators in his country, claiming they are involved in “witch hunts,” and both vowed revenge. With Democrats planning intensified oversight hearings next year, Attorney-General Todd Blanche (he was Trump’s personal criminal lawyer when the former reality TV performer was convicted on 34 felony counts) threatened to launch federal investigations of Members of Congress.
Vilifying the opposition is a shared value of both; delegitimizing foes by insults and personal attacks has come to define their approach to governing. Netanyahu calls the political opposition “terrorist supporters” fueling “anarchy,” Hamas lovers and “collaborators.” Trump, who admits to a fondness for insulting nicknames, called his critics the “enemy within,” “vermin,” and “godless communists” (which is odd for an admirer of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un). He is so filled with hate, he told 60 Minutes, that he’d rather go to Hell than forgive his political enemies.
As they enter the twilight of their public careers, their message to the faithful continues to reflect their fear, anger and resentment. In other words, “I hate the same people you hate.”
Both nations boast of their shared democratic values, but voters this month seemed to question their leaders’ commitment to that ideal. Majorities in both countries opted to preserve and defend their democracies from a pair of would-be authoritarians who have been trying to dismantle them to protect their own power and wealth.
Both talk about diminishing democracy in other countries while dismantling it at home. To help carry that out, they promoted unqualified hacks and toadies to high positions of government.
They have presided over the dramatic shrinkage of their nations’ international stature, notably among traditional Western democratic allies.
Both are expansionists. Trump covets Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, Venezuela, and Cuba – so far. Netanyahu hankers for the West Bank, Gaza, and chunks of Lebanon and Syria.
Neither is a religious man; they just pretend to be for their political benefit. They have given ultra-religious elements disproportionate influence in their governments, notably in the area of public funding. Netanyahu has said, “The left has forgotten what it means to be Jewish.” Trump calls Democrats “hardcore, godless communists” who are “against religion.”
Trump has publicly shown a lack of familiarity with the Bible, but he still peddles $60 made-in-China copies that have put hundreds of thousands of dollars in his pockets.
Each tries to portray himself as Israel’s savior. Netanyahu warned that his political opposition was planning to form a government with parties who “seek to destroy the State of Israel and build the Palestinian state on its ruins.” He was referring to Arab parties as well and leftist Jews.
Trump went further, posting memes portraying himself as Jesus and as Israel’s savior, telling 60 Minutes, “Israel would not exist except for Donald Trump.”
The would-be “savior” might be having second thoughts about who to save, though.
The Republicans midterm loss
Many inside his administration and among its supporters are starting to blame Netanyahu for convincing Trump to launch the failed Iran war. The president admitted that conflict played a major role in Republican’s devastating midterm defeat. Vice President JD Vance also drew a link, concluding the election losses require Washington to “change our relationship to Israel.”
Trump agreed, adding “there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.”
The president and the prime minister have had a close albeit sometimes fraught relationship. One day Trump will lobby Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu (currently on trial for fraud, bribery and breach of trust), and on another end all military aid, call the prime minister names and say he “will do whatever I want him to do.”
While each currently leads the most extreme regime in his nation’s history, they are more pragmatic than the governments they lead.
“They have polarized their respective countries, using divisive, venomous rhetoric that deepens cultural and ideological rifts, treating politics as an existential threat,” observed an Israeli journalist who has covered both capitals.
In their world, the traditional media is a hostile enemy. They turn instead to alternative media, friendly outlets – Fox News in the United States, Channel 14 in Israel – and social media (Trump owns Truth Social, which he often uses for official policy announcements) to communicate with their followers. Trump even uses Fox as a farm team for recruiting top aides.
One astute political observer noted “for both of them truth is a malleable variable depending on time, place and circumstance.” Each demands intense personal loyalty but it is strictly a one-way street.
They’ve been called narcissistic, racist, misogynistic, among many other things. The list is long, so I will leave it to readers to add their thoughts.
While they share many traits, there are notable exceptions.
Trump has a BS in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, with mediocre grades (he threatened to sue anyone who revealed his transcripts). He is not considered by everyone to be intellectually curious or well read.
Netanyahu has two degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including a MBA, and is said to have a high intellect. The Israeli is the more articulate of the two and has a larger English vocabulary. He is a student of history and knows from inside experience how government works.
One is a draft dodger who can’t remember which foot had the bone spurs, while the other is a military veteran who served in the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces.
For all their boasts and bravado, history will judge both men harshly, particularly for their latest tenure. On their watch, the US-Israel alliance has plunged to new depths and will only get worse until they are replaced by leaders sincerely interested in healing and serving their nation’s national interest instead of their private interests.
The writer is a Washington-based journalist, consultant, lobbyist, and former legislative director at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · DOUGLAS BLOOMFIELD
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