To: Les H who wrote (45316 ) 3/21/2025 6:56:48 AM From: Les H Read Replies (2) | Respond to Why Netanyahu Is Now Peddling the 'Deep State' Conspiracy TheoryThere is no elaborate network of leftist bureaucrats that will stop Benjamin Netanyahu on his path of destruction, just as it hasn't been there to stop him until now David Issacharoff , Haaretz, Mar 20, 2025Netanyahu is intensely jealous of Trump's vast executive power (and bro following), and can only dream of appointing loyalist, Kash Patel-like figures to head Israel's internal security agency, lead the justice system or law enforcement bodies. But he's trying – and earlier this week he fired the head of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, while the government is working to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The Shin Bet has been investigating Netanyahu's closest aides for their ties to Qatar, and just as Netanyahu was posting his conspiratorial rant, two suspects were being detained by the police on suspicion of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, as well as money laundering and illegal contact with a foreign agent. Instead of discussing how to release the remaining hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu ordered a change in the subject of Thursday evening's cabinet meeting to a vote on dismissing the Shin Bet chief. With far-right extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir back in the governing coalition, and a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza that has already killed hundreds of Palestinians and brought renewed Hamas rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, Netanyahu has sealed the hostages' fate and will not advance a deal to release them. To that end, he has nothing to worry about. No elaborate network of leftist bureaucrats will stop him, as it hasn't stopped him since October 7 from waging a destructive counteroffensive in Gaza, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, along with an intense war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and unprecedented Israeli operations in the West Bank. Those have left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced and hundreds dead. Netanyahu's late-night conspiracies and lies should be seen for what they are – a mirror of Israel's stance toward the world throughout the war: Never taking responsibility despite vast powers, always playing the victim and finding ways to blame everyone else. This may be the best week Netanyahu has had since October 7. Chaos reigns, and he thrives on it. But it's been one of the worst weeks for Israelis, their society deeply fractured, protests erupting in fury, and police officers brutally assaulting anti-war and pro-democracy demonstrators. Palestinian parents are running with their dead or wounded children to nonfunctioning hospitals after bombardments, while Israelis rush back in fear to the shelters. A criminal defendant in a corruption trial at home, and wanted abroad for war crimes in Gaza, Netanyahu's coalition is now stronger. His far-right, antidemocratic government is expected to fill its days, removing key gatekeepers to ensure his political survival. The "strong right-wing leader" he is, Netanyahu lies and whines about being shackled by bureaucrats, while deliberately leaving his own citizens, abducted on his watch, to die in Hamas chains. Haaretz
