Public discourse in Israel has long since moved beyond the boundaries of political debate, transforming into a visceral battleground with a single man at its center: Benjamin Netanyahu.
This frenzy reflects not merely a legitimate disagreement over policy direction, but a profound phenomenon of demonization — one that uses methods of historical character assassination to paralyze leadership and engineer the consciousness of an entire public.
A. Historical Roots: The Method of Delegitimizing Political Figures
Using demonization as a political weapon is not a local invention.
Under totalitarian regimes — Stalin’s Soviet Union being a prime example — delegitimizing a political figure was a necessary step before eliminating them. The target was portrayed not merely as politically mistaken, but subjected to a process of total erasure and absolute demonization. His name became a slur, and reactions to his very personality became extreme.
This is the result of portraying someone as a traitor driven solely by personal interests.
The goal of this method is to create a kind of “contamination” around the figure — and anyone who dares support him is immediately branded an accomplice.
The phrase “I’m not a Bibist” is the modern incarnation of that same fear of social ostracism.
B. The Wartime Absurdity: Leadership Under Legal Siege
The height of this madness is the demand that a sitting prime minister spend precious hours in a courtroom during a multi-front war.
Rather than allowing the Prime Minister to focus on managing the campaign, political and legal forces insist the trial proceed as though these were ordinary, uneventful times.
Damaging the Prime Minister would bring down his entire political camp — and for these forces, that outcome is preferable even to the stability and focus required for national security.
This is systemic madness that has lost all rational national judgment.
C. The “Wagging Tail” Lie: Manipulating the Coalition Partners
The phrase 'I'm not a Bibist' is the modern incarnation of that same fear of social ostracism.
As part of broader consciousness engineering, the left highlights the smaller coalition parties as those who “run the show and extort the government.”
This is an inherent falsehood. These parties have legitimate demands as part of the democratic game, but they align with and influence the central policy line — they do not dictate it.
Portraying them as “extorting” or “calling the shots” is designed to engineer fear among secular and liberal voters and generate yet another layer of demonization against the government as a whole.
It is striking that in the Bennett-Lapid government, Mansour Abbas was not portrayed as an extortionist or terror supporter, but rather as a partner in a “moving historic partnership” with the Arab public.
D. Consciousness Engineering on Steroids: Pressure on Those “Caught Between Camps”
Rather than engaging in substantive ideological debate, enormous mental pressure is applied to people who find themselves “on the seam” between camps.
Sensitive issues such as Haredi military enlistment are pushed to the top of the agenda not out of a genuine desire for resolution — after all, every government has had to navigate the complexity of this issue — but as a tool for generating internal hostility.
This is consciousness engineering designed to strike raw nerves and prevent the ordinary citizen from seeing the full picture.
And to those on the right who are disappointed by certain government actions: remember, every coalition reflects the sum of its constraints and compromises. No one walks away with everything they wanted.
Sometimes the enemy of the good is the utopian best — the unattainable ideal.
E. A Guide for the Ordinary Citizen
To return to healthy and independent thinking, it is worth adopting basic critical reasoning. Let us elaborate:
1. Ask About Constraints and Trade-Offs
Before forming a firm opinion, ask yourself: “Do I truly understand all the constraints, difficulties, and costs of each alternative?” Politics is the “art of the possible,” and it almost always involves choosing between bad options.
Damaging the Prime Minister would bring down his entire political camp — and for these forces, that outcome is preferable even to the stability and focus required for national security.
Anyone who presents a “simple” or “moral” solution alone is most likely misleading you.
2. The Focus on Personal Character
A public official should be judged by his ability to implement policy. His appealing appearance, pleasant manner, or reputation as a “man of values” are nearly irrelevant. The only real question is: what are his public positions?
3. Apply the Neutrality Test
If a particular government action had been carried out by a left-wing leader, would it have been portrayed the same way by the media? And what about things he said in the past? The archive is a wonderful gift for examining ideological and psychological consistency over time.
4. Refuse to Apologize
Stop using the phrase “I’m not a Bibist.” A substantive opinion requires no certificate of moral fitness from anyone.
The same applies when accusations are hurled at you and you are backed into a corner, pressured to disavow your entire political camp (“I didn’t vote for him, but…”).
5. Recognize the Diversion
When someone tries to convince you that the enlistment issue, or this or that minister, is the be-all and end-all, remember that this is a distraction tactic — insignificant compared to the larger issues, strategic achievements, and the complexity of the broader campaign. It is somewhat like, so to speak, focusing on the trash can or the bathroom in a house and using them to judge the entire house — both personally and nationally.
Conclusion
The hatred directed at the Prime Minister stems from the fact that he serves as the cornerstone of the entire national camp — those who carry the “Jewish covenant.”
In a reality where no genuine fact-based ideological debate takes place, the primary way to break through the mental siege does not begin with a perfectly refined argument. It begins with straightening your back, wearing a broad smile, and preserving your freedom of mind.
‘Path Pavers’
