Is Netanyahu Pursuing a Rabbi and the Goat Scenario?

Will Prime Minister Netanyahu drop one of his favored domestic legislative initiatives in order to advance his foreign policy goals? In other words, as a rabbi in an old Jewish tale advised doing, will he take the goat out of the room?Meeting with President Macron on Friday, Mr. Netanyahu heard plenty about the Frenchman’s fear for Israel’s democracy in the wake of the country’s recent electoral turn to the right. Le Monde, undoubtedly relying on a strategic leak from the Elysee, reports that the president told his Israeli guest that he was “gravely concerned” about a proposal to overhaul the Israeli judicial system — much to the delight of some in the Israeli press who oppose the move. Mr. Netanyahu, however, preferred to focus on another aspect of the Paris meeting. Mr. Macron “agreed to consider sanctioning the IRGC,” the premier said. “I must note that we share concerns and we share the estimates on the nature of the Tehran regime.”The Islamic Republic’s Guard Corps has committed acts of terrorism on French soil, and the European Parliament has urged designating the group for sanctions. Yet, the European Union has so far been reluctant to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. As a central figure in the EU, Mr. Macron has the ability to push that designation and otherwise maximize European pressure on the Islamic Republic. That brings us back to the Jewish yarn about the rabbi and the goat: A family of five resides in a small room, where the parents and children are constantly at each other’s throats. When the parents turn to the rabbi for advice, he tells them to buy a goat and place it in the room. After a week or so, as the domestic situation becomes intolerable, the rabbi says: “Okay, now you can take out the goat.” Once the rowdy animal is out, everyone feels much better.In Israeli parlance, a similar trick in politics or statecraft is referred to as “taking out the goat.” Mr. Netanyahu has been facing a torrent of global criticism over legislation to rebalance relations between Israel’s three branches of government. His minister of justice, Yariv Levin, has proposed a bill that would significantly weaken the supreme court’s powers and allow the Knesset to override some of its decisions.Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are protesting against the legislation weekly, arguing it would give too much power to the government and the Knesset, and effectively end Israel’s democracy. That critique has quickly traveled outside the country, and world leaders have latched onto it to criticize the Netanyahu government. In a trip to Israel earlier this week, Secretary Blinken repeatedly hinted at the internal Israeli debate, stressing that the American-Israeli alliance is based on “shared democratic values.” In a meeting with the Israeli president, Issac Herzog, Mr. Blinken said he appreciated attempts at “finding a good way forward that builds consensus on the question of judicial reform.”The legislation’s supporters said Mr. Blinken’s statements amounted to American interference in internal Israeli affairs. According to one report, Mr. Netanyahu in a closed-door meeting with political allies dismissed the call for a bipartisan solution. Mr. Blinken should remember how Obamacare was passed, the report quoted Bibi as saying. Yet, what if Mr. Netanyahu’s method of escaping the domestic and global criticism of the legislation is to take out the goat? What if he ends up compromising on, or even canceling, the judicial reform, and in return world powers begin to seriously address the Iranian threat?The ground is fertile for a global rally against the Islamic Republic. The combination of the popular uprising against the regime, the so-called hijab revolution, and its military alliance with Russia have turned America and an increasing number of European countries away from the appeasement instincts that marked the start of President Biden’s term. In the past, Mr. Netanyahu has shown an ability to shoot down domestic goals favored by his allies in order to score major foreign policy victories. In 2020, his ruling coalition prepared a plan to annex the West Bank. Mr. Netanyahu then buried it in a move that made possible the Abraham Accords — unprecedented peace treaties with four Arab countries. Trading the West Bank annexation for a major Mideast breakthrough, facilitated by America and cheered around the world, was the ultimate goat trick. He may return to the annexation plan, but right now his major battle is over the judicial legislation.In his conversation with Mr. Macron, Mr. Netanyahu reportedly said a compromise will soon be found to end the impasse over the legislation. If so, that would be unpleasant news to his political allies at home. Yet, it would be a classic move by a man who has long been guided by the story about the rabbi and the goat.

Is Netanyahu Pursuing a Rabbi and the Goat Scenario?

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