Epstein Secrets

n and Rene Pfister Article 3. Foreign Affairs Barak's Last Battle: An Israeli Lion in Winter Jonathan Tepperman Article 4. The Financial Times Netanyahu: tactical genius, strategic idiot Gideon Rachman Article 5. The New York Times Hypochondria: An Inside Look Woody Allen Anicic I. Project Synd

cic 4. The Financial Times Netanyahu: tactical genius, strategic idiot Gideon Rachman January 14, 2013 -- In a normal time, in a normal country, Benjamin Netanyahu would be a political giant. He is already the second-longest serving prime minister in Israel's history. Next week, when the country goes to the po

arak's eyes light up with real affection when he speaks about his former lieutenant; he describes Netanyahu (known in Israel almost exclusively as "Bibi") as "capable of deep thought and possessing a deep sense of history," explaining their relationship this way: Israel is not a nation of 300 millio

ould conceivably pull off a similar resurrection. The Israeli right, now represented by a new megaparty including Netanyahu's Likud and Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, doesn't look likely to expand beyond its base in the elections. The center will be up for grabs if the Kadima Party -- currently the largest party

y that can succeed: by offering an American plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace and rallying the world to it, while challenging, or even shattering, Netanyahu's fragile coalition. Kerry has "gone as far as he can as mediator," a senior American official said last week. Precisely. The question is whether h

ead, they wouldn't need United States involvement. Perhaps Kerry will yet channel Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's inner Anwar Sadat and find Benjamin Netanyahu's inner Menachem Begin. But right now that has about the same odds as Warren Buffet's March Madness bracket bet. The smart money says that yet anothe

Danny Danon, the Party chairman. Avigdor Lieberman, the Foreign Minister, who's aiming to topple Netanyahu, controls his old ultra-rightist party, Yisrael Beiteinu; this has left many of the Likud's traditional Mizrahi voters displaced. Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, is thought to have bought the newspap

. She won the election, in a photo finish, with opinion polls suggesting she’d been effective in shaping the campaign as a choice “between Tzipi and Bibi.” Kadima got 28 Knesset seats, to 27 for Bibi and the Likud, which gave her the first crack at forming a government. There’s no way of disguising the

ary, and in intelligence. We make a point of listening to them before taking action,” I said. “But here’s the difference. When they look up, they see Netanyahu, or me. When Bibi and I look up, we see heaven. Whoever is up there, we clearly can’t go to them for advice. We are responsible for Israel’s security

o any Palestinian state — had become the 21*-century equivalent of the kibbutz avant-garde of a half-century earlier. The rise of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party was the latest sign, alongside a move rightward within the Likud itself. For Bibi to say yes to a settlement freeze would mean putting aside hi

s. She won the election, in a photo finish, with opinion polls suggesting she'd been effective in shaping the campaign as a choice "between Tzipi and Bibi." Kadima got 28 Knesset seats, to 27 for Bibi and the Likud, which gave her the first crack at forming a government. There's no way of disguising the

tary, and in intelligence. We make a point of listening to them before taking action," I said "But here's the difference. When they look up, they see Netanyahu, or me. When Bibi and I look up, we see heaven. Whoever is up there, we clearly can't go to them for advice. We are responsible for Israel's security

o any Palestinian state - had become the 21"-century equivalent of the kibbutz avant-garde of a half-century earlier. The rise of Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party was the latest sign, alongside a move rightward within the Likud itself. For Bibi to say yes to a settlement freeze would mean putting aside hi

d for a series of graft charges dating back a number of years. Avigdor Lieberman, who has been at the center of a number of controversies since the Netanyahu government came to power two years ago, is accused of fraud, money laundering and witness tampering. Although Lieberman insists he is innocent of

forced to relinquish his post if an indictment is handed down. It is not clear what the effect would be on the Netanyahu government, but his party, Yisrael Beiteinu, is the largest coalition partner and the nation's third-largest party, so if the party leaves the government along with Lieberman, new elections