Severe Domestic Criticism of the Israeli Government: 'It is Time for Netanyahu to Go'

A former prime minister and a former defense minister of Israel have sharply criticized Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, labeling his government's actions as 'fascist' and stating that 'the time has come to remove Netanyahu.' According to these two Israeli politicians, Netanyahu has ensured the survival of his government in recent years through fearmongering about Iran. Reserve General Ehud Barak, a former prime minister and defense minister, and Reserve General Moshe Ya'alon, who was the defense minister in Netanyahu's government until three weeks ago, expressed these criticisms in separate speeches on Thursday, June 17, at the Herzliya Security Conference. According to Haaretz, these two politicians stated: 'Netanyahu has caused severe division among the people of Israel and has brought the country to the brink of disaster.' Haaretz wrote: 'These are the harshest attacks' against Netanyahu from two figures who both have extensive military and security experience and have previously been members of Netanyahu's governments. Ehud Barak said there are signs of fascism in Netanyahu's government and that its policies will ultimately lead to 'apartheid.' According to Barak, Netanyahu has governed by instilling a sense of pessimism, fear, and lethargy in society, allowing extremist violence to flourish in 'savagery.' Barak stated that Netanyahu has 'severely weakened Israel in the world and jeopardized Israel's relations with the United States, and no one in world leadership believes his words.' Barak added: 'People must free themselves from this silence and sense of helplessness that no one has the power to overthrow Netanyahu, and before it is too late, they should remove him through popular uprising and the ballot box.' He said that instead of this government, whose leader considers himself a king, a wise government based on the charter of independence should take power. Ehud Barak expressed his readiness to return to the political scene after years away to change this situation. Barak's tone in this speech was extremely angry and trembled with dissatisfaction. Moshe Ya'alon also stated that he is positioning himself as a candidate for the country's political leadership because Netanyahu 'has continued his political life by instilling fear in the hearts of citizens every day.' Ya'alon added, which government must tell its citizens every day, 'We are approaching a second Holocaust, and death and destruction are near? What should citizens do? The fear that this government has instilled in Israelis about Iran has only one result: it has prolonged the life of this extremist government.' General Ya'alon said that the final nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers (JCPOA) has limited Iran's nuclear program and that Iran 'is not an immediate threat, just as there is no vital threat to Israel.' According to Ya'alon, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran do not keep him awake at night; rather, his deep concern is about 'the erosion of fundamental values and the deepening divide in Israeli society' as a result of 'the leadership's performance that shows society on the brink of destruction.' In response to these criticisms, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his strong anger at the speeches of these two prominent figures, stating that 'these two showed alignment while they were in government, and now that they are irrelevant, they have changed color.' According to Netanyahu, the 'ridiculous' statements of these two will not overthrow his government. Benjamin Netanyahu has been prime minister for more than ten years, longer than any other politician in Israel; the term of his current third government could continue until 2019.