A reading of the so-called Israel file found among the WikiLeaks documents reveals the stuff of which Israel's "leadership" is made. To sum it up, an Israeli leader apparently carries two basic genes: one of aggression and one of charlatanism. In ideological terms, that means that such a leader has most likely been influenced by Machiavelli's "The Prince" - based on the great assumption that said leader has actually read the book. If for a moment we switch things around and extrapolate, this also means the Israeli public likes to be governed aggressively by persons who tend to feed them lies.
According to the documents, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the king of charlatans. He is mostly preoccupied with tactics like enhancing visibility and marketing. He asks to hold a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in private. His request is turned down. By way of explanation, the president's adviser says: "After a tete-a-tete, each side says what it wants" about the things said in the meeting. In other words, there was concern that Netanyahu would present the details of the conversation in a distorted and incomplete way.
In November 2009, during a meeting with members of the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu says jokingly: "What is the difference between on and off the record in Israel? Two weeks." In other words, even his jokes deal with how to create two realities - one confidential, the other not - with a comic dimension attributed to the very short period during which the con is perpetrated.
"Netanyahu" is a marketing term which describes the way in which reality is presented in order to preserve power.
Avigdor Lieberman is the king of force. In a 2006 meeting with Richard Jones, then U.S. ambassador to Israel, the current Israeli foreign minister explains that Mahmoud Abbas is "weak and corrupted, and no longer relevant." After thus dismissing, in a few words, the most moderate Palestinian leader Israel has known, Lieberman suggests finding a more appropriate partner within the Palestinian Authority leadership. For example, Mohammed Rashid.
Setting aside the issue of private interests - Rashid is linked with Austrian billionaire Martin Schlaff, who is linked to Lieberman - it is interesting that Lieberman disqualifies the person elected by the Palestinian public and hopes to put in his place, in colonialist fashion, a leader who will meet the demands of the powerful states.
Democracy, Yisrael Beiteinu style.
Danny Dayan, chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements, told representatives of the U.S. embassy that, "As long as the [Defense Ministry] only dismantles outposts like Maoz Esther, we're really not concerned - yet." But in the media he warns that, "If the government acts in such a one-sided and aggressive manner, the grave results that will stem from this will be on its account."
Charlatanism.
By contrast, Histadrut labor federation chairman Ofer Eini, warns that he "will pull the plug" if the government does not take him seriously.
Aggressiveness.
When it comes to Yuval Diskin, the outgoing head of the Shin Bet, aggressiveness and charlatanism are molded together to the point of stupidity, to which is added a touch of racism. His claim that "many of them [Israeli Arabs] take their rights too far" reflects a very narrow concept of democracy and an inherent feeling of superiority over the Arab Israeli minority. My assessment: Diskin can be expected to have a brilliant political career if he so chooses.
As for the Israeli left, in the absence of any foothold in the establishments of power and control, it can only take advantage of the remnants of the charlatan genome.
However, it must also be said that there is something embarrassing when one's charlatanism takes the form of regularly running to the "teacher from America" to "tattle on" Israel for its violations of law in the territories.
After all, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch will eventually legalize some of those violations in any case, because of the "innocent buyers who are not aware of the clandestine machinations of the contractors."
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/what-wikileaks-can-tell-us-about-israel-s-leaders-1.355255
