Avishai Ben Haim says Netanyahu’s Iran move shows strength, not failure

Journalist and commentator Dr. Avishai Ben Haim reacted to the reported Iran, United States deal and sharply criticized the left for attacking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over it. He argued that Netanyahu had managed to bring the American superpower to strike Iran, saying the outcome was a serious blow even if it did not topple the Iranian regime. Ben Haim described damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, economy and naval infrastructure, and said it was “not something we dreamed of in our most optimistic dreams.”

On Tuesday morning, Ben Haim expanded on his view that the left wants to humiliate Netanyahu in order to humiliate the public he represents, which he called “Israel second.” He said the campaign to portray Netanyahu as a failure is really a struggle over power and image, adding that “the success of Netanyahu is the success of his voters, and his humiliation is theirs.” He compared this to how he believes Menachem Begin and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef were treated when they were seen as threatening to the establishment.

Ben Haim said the effort to frame Netanyahu’s conduct in the war as a failure ignores what he called an unprecedented political and military achievement. He argued that even without reaching what he termed a messianic era, Israel had still achieved something no one had imagined, namely bringing the United States into an attack on Iran and inflicting heavy damage.

He closed by saying the issue is not only political but extends to all fields, claiming the system gives an advantage and privilege to people from “Israel first” even when others are more capable. According to him, the broader lesson is that the same mechanisms that try to diminish Netanyahu can be used against anyone from “Israel second.”