Binyamin Netanyahu is probably the most deficient prime minister in Israel\u2019s history. His blunders and vices have been laid bare in great abundance during his nine years in power. When he embarked on his most recent campaign for re-election, even his own supporters and constituents could not hide their disgust at his egomaniacal behavior and his wife\u2019s embarrassing public conduct.<\/p>\n
Beyond Netanyahu\u2019s noxious personal characteristics, Israel has consolidated its position as one of the OECD\u2019s most unequal countries under his rule. Netanyahu, the most fanatic neo-liberal leader in Israel\u2019s history, asked the country\u2019s penurious middle class and poor to re-elect him on a record of high living costs, unaffordable housing, and a 21% poverty rate. Yet re-elect him they did.<\/p>\n
Nor could Netanyahu find any respectable security experts to vouch for his return to power. Some 180 generals and war heroes, chief among them Meir Dagan, one of the most revered former heads of Mossad, Israel\u2019s intelligence service, came together to oppose the re-election of a man they described as a threat to Israel\u2019s security.
\nBut one does not have to be a security icon to see how Netanyahu has burned Israel\u2019s bridges with the international community, particularly the United States, Israel\u2019s most indispensable ally and benefactor. Not only did he openly seek to sabotage President Barack Obama\u2019s negotiations with Iran by aligning himself with Obama\u2019s Republican opponents; two days before the election, he suddenly reneged on his commitment to the two-state solution, the cornerstone of the international community\u2019s vision for achieving peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n