Netanyahu Denies Having Scruples

Corruption at the top has long been a tradition in Israeli politics.

Jerusalem, December 2 – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded harshly today to accusations he had developed a conscience or morals, following remarks by fellow politicians insinuating that he does not operate exclusively according to personal interest.

As talks to preserve the governing coalition collapsed amid disagreement between Yesh Atid and Likud, delegates from the ruling Likud party sought to reassure other parties that if, as surveys indicate, upcoming elections bring the Likud back to power, Netanyahu would honor various verbal commitments to potential coalition partners, since he is a man of his word.

Reports of those remarks reached the prime minister, who hastily convened a press conference to rebut any allegations of his integrity. “I, like the vast majority of my colleagues in the Knesset, remain a venal, egotistical, megalomaniacal, corrupt, cowardly, and slick shyster, nothing more,” he pronounced. “Any statement or implication that a sense of ethics guides my behavior is the product of either a delusional mindset or a cynical attempt to portray me falsely, and I shall not stand for it. Portraying me falsely as valuing anything beyond my political fortunes is my job, not theirs.”

Netanyahu has been dogged by such accusations before, notably over the summer as he managed Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip with restraint, keeping the IDF from becoming mired in hostile territory while allowing the military as much latitude as possible to destroy Hamas’s tunnels. To dispel the notion that he cared about the IDF itself, let alone the State of Israel, beyond what they could do for him politically, Netanyahu fomented unrest in the coalition over a proposed funding increase for the IDF, lest political stability lead observers to believe he could rise above partisan bickering for more than a few weeks.

Analysts note that Netanyahu’s perpetual dishonesty has hardly impeded his career. “A lot of newer politicians such as Yair Lapid talk a lot about ‘new’ vs. ‘old’ politics, as if it’s ever really possible to leave behind the precedent of backroom deals with kingmakers,” explains Mac Yaveli of Tel Aviv University. “But Bibi knows better than that. Integrity looks good, but the people with integrity don’t make the news, don’t garner the attention, and don’t make the corrupt deals that accomplish anything and keep them in power as long as possible.”

Corruption at the top has long been a tradition in Israeli politics, with Netanyahu’s predecessor Ehud Olmert now facing prison time and the continuing embarrassment of a public trial and a falling-out with longtime friends and supporters over attempts to shift blame. Two presidents have had to step down amid various allegations, one of whom is in jail for rape. Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu succeeded earlier this year in avoiding indictment for his role in various scandals, and is viewed by many as worthy successor to Netanyahu in the realm of leadership awash in scandal.

Opinion polls bear out the public’s distaste for the current political system, but little has been accomplished to change it. The main hurdle, says Yaveli, is the vortex of power that eventually sucks in even the well-meaning souls who sincerely desire to foster change. “Election to the Knesset is a gateway drug,” he says. “The only way to maintain your integrity is to lose.”

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