How Convenient?

 

The area of the Middle East that the three Abrahamic Faiths call “Holy,” is once again in a period of “Unholiness.” The current period of Unholy activity started around October 7, 2023 when the “militant” group Hamas, launched a strike into Israeli territory, which ended up with the slaughter and capture of civilians.

Atrocities against Israeli civilians have been well documented and so there’s nothing more than can be said. It also goes to say that Israel has now declared against war against Hamas and so at the time of writing the Israeli military machine is preparing to bomb the Gaza strip (the sliver of land controlled by Hamas) back to and beyond the Jurassic age. As expected, the US President has offered his “unwavering” support for Israel’s right to eliminate brown people.

This is only the latest cycle of unholy activities in a land that so many people call holy. The results are predictable. Israeli bombardment of the Gaza strip will do wonders for the recruitment drive for Hamas’s militant wing. There will be tones of chest beating in the Islamic world and the Western media will have a field day trying to understand why the brown people huddled in the Gaza strip won’t accept the generosity of the white people in Israel proper.

Nobody seems to be looking at what could be the biggest winner of this entire mess – Israel’s persistent Prime Minister, Mr. Benyamin Nethanyahu, who has served longer than anyone else as Prime Minister in a three-decade long career. The political career of Mr. Nethanyahu has been what you could call a text book study in knowing how to read luck. Mr. Nethanyahu is not known for being brave (his brother was the hero of the Entebe rescue) or particularly clever. His basic integrity has always been questionable (he’s been under criminal investigation since 2017 and there was supposed to be a criminal trial in 2020, which got pushed back because of Covid). Yet, somehow, he’s managed to stay in the top job longer than people who have proven themselves to be men of courage and integrity (Yitzhak Rabin comes to mind).

How has Mr. Nethanyahu stayed on top for so long despite his obvious sort comings. The best answer is probably because he’s avoided doing anything risky and he’s known how to make circumstances work to his advantage.

Let’s take the current round of “unholy” activity. Mr. Nethanyahu was, until the raids into Israel facing legislative elections that were due for 27 October 2023. Thanks to his efforts to defang the Israeli Judiciary and the storming of the Al Asqa Mosque, Mr. Nethanyahu wasn’t exactly doing well:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/gantz-maintains-lead-over-netanyahu-in-latest-poll-coalition-falls-to-52-seats/

 

 Mr. Nethanyahu, was until the invasion by Hamas looking like he would need a new job. His poll numbers were down and nobody wanted anything to do with him. Then, by some coincidence, Israel’s super high technology surveillance systems and formidable ground intelligence (As anyone who has watched Fauda will tell you – Israeli force on the ground mingle in Arabic speaking areas exceptionally well) failed to capture a whiff of what was about to take place.

A month ago, Mr. Nethanyahu was a man in danger of losing his job and being hounded out of office in disgrace. At this moment, he’s on the world stage, demanding and getting attention as a war leader protecting his highly advanced and militarily sophisticated nation against a “terrorist” organization. His main rival for the top job has now ad to join in a government of national unity.

Mr. Nethanyahu has shown that courage, integrity and basic competence only play a secondary role in maintaining power. The key, it seems is knowing how to make the most of events and coincidences.