Media doesn't like rightist governments – Netanyahu
Photo: AFP
The leftist media putsch
Op-ed: Israeli media, leftist camp doing everything in their power to topple government
The current Israeli government is not my cup of tea, and if it collapses tomorrow I won't go into mourning. Nonetheless, I'm having great trouble with the bonfire of de-legitimization burning around the Netanyahu coalition
at this time.
In line with the finest leftist and media tradition since 1977, we are again witnessing an immense effort to ridicule an elected rightist government, make it hated by the people, undermine it vigorously, and openly arrange the process of toppling it.
The commentator industry is diligently forging an eve-of-elections atmosphere. On Army Radio they truly encouraged the Labor party's Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to quit the government here and now.
Meanwhile, a radio news announcer slammed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's speech in a way that is usually reserved for Iranian leaders. On Channel 2, Lieberman was presented as one who "adds more fuel to the fire with Turkey."
Never before had such hysterical style of expression been directed at Israeli foreign ministers, including ones who uttered nonsense the whole day. This style is reserved for ministers in governments that the Left refuses to recognize and insists on dissolving prematurely.
Lieberman uttered trivial statements this past week in respect to Turkey and the Palestinians. Yet his words were presented as if they were the mad statements of a pyromaniac only to delegitimize the Israeli government, not because of a frank concern for Israel's foreign relations or proper administrative procedures.
When Ehud Barak spoke out a month ago in America in favor of dividing Jerusalem, thereby fully deviating from the government's basic lines, nobody got excited. The Left despises Barak almost as much as it despises Lieberman, yet still needs him in order to realize the default choice of a coalition comprising Likud, Kadima and Labor.
Such coalition would empty of all substance the voters' decision in the winter of 2009, yet voters never made much of an impression on the shapers of public opinion around here. Ever since the polling stations closed down, they have been trying to topple the government or arrange a coalition that would circumvent the voters. They urge us to remove Lieberman, bring Livni in instead, and trample Eli Yishai. Soon they'll be asking the High Court to intervene.
You say the people wanted a different kind of government? So what? Who's asking them?
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