Netanyahu May Have Basked In Canada's Sunshine, But Storm Clouds Are Gathering
The warm embrace given by 'Canada’s first Zionist prime minister' only underlined Israel’s emerging isolation, the cold wind that’s starting to blow this way from the West.
By Yossi Verter | Jan. 24, 2014
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t have conceived of a better or more heartwarming present on the occasion of the yahrzeit of the last election (which was marked, in case you didn’t notice, on January 22) than the dream visit to Israel by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his huge entourage. Nor could he have celebrated his entry into his sixth successive year as prime minister (and his ninth, altogether) with a better and more affectionate friend.
It was a four-day diplomatic high. The warm embrace given Harper – “Canada’s first Zionist prime minister,” as he’s known in these parts (or, in the words of MK Ahmed Tibi, “a Likudnik”) – was matched only by the big hug he gave Israel. The applause the visitor received, mainly from the coalition benches, including several standing ovations led by Netanyahu and his grateful ministers, only underlined Israel’s emerging isolation, the cold wind that’s starting to blow this way from the West, and the darkening of the diplomatic and economic clouds that are gathering above us in the event that the negotiations with the Palestinians fail. But, hey, we’ll always have Canada. Oh, yes, we also have to take the pulse of Micronesia.
A year ago, a rival to Netanyahu seemed to have sprung up, Yair Lapid by name. Garnering a wonderful result in the election of 19 seats for his Yesh Atid party, the charming former TV presenter’s way to the top looked like a sure thing. But today, no one is putting his money on Lapid. The finance minister has developed an image of a politician who has betrayed and disappointed his voters.
So we’re back, politically, to where we were a year ago, with Netanyahu being the only game in town. The prime minister is not particularly liked by the public. He’s not particularly liked in his party. Even after five consecutive years, no one knows what he wants, where he’s headed – peace agreement yes or no, concessions yes or no, breakthrough or no breakthrough. With premiers like Yitzhak Shamir and Menachem Begin, we knew very quickly where we were going. With Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, we had no doubt. But Netanyahu is an enigma.
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