For years–decades, even–Bibi has promoted a policy of passive-aggression relative to the Palestinians. Its elements consisted of the following:
- Refuse to engage in meaningful negotiations on the basis that no decent Palestinian partner existed;
- Create facts on the ground, but slowly enough to avoid irrevocable conflicts with Israel’s friends and patrons;
- Use right-wing contacts in America to prevent Democratic governments from siding with Israel’s adversaries, and, if possible, drag America into war with Iran; and
- Engage in limited military actions whenever the Palestinian militants get out of control. This part of the policy was known as “cutting the grass.”
This approach seemed to work and had the additional benefit of making Bibi the indispensable man–the only one who could keep all of the balls in the air at once. Well, where is that now? Did Bibi, in the end, keep Israel safe?
Obviously not. If you don’t take some risks for peace, you get war.