‘Simply Unrecognizable’: Journalist Says Most Israelis Don’t Know ‘Their Country’ One Year After Netanyahu’s Return to Power
MSNBC’s Steven Romo spoke to former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes and Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky Thursday about the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.
“The king of Jordan and Egypt’s president met today in Cairo to talk about the war and the future of the Palestinian people. What role do you think they’ll end up playing and how all this turns out?” Romo asked Tarnopolsky after discussing Hamas’s recent rejection of an Egypt-backed ceasefire plan.
“Well, they each have very important roles. Egypt is trying very hard with some success to play the role of kind of the regional powerhouse and is attempting to play the most important role of a mediator between Israel and the Qataris, who basically speak for Hamas in these negotiations,” Tarnopolsky replied, adding:
And they’re trying to replace the countries who have really managed to leverage their financial support for Hamas into international legitimacy as a mediator. So Egyptian President Sisi sees an opportunity. The Jordanian king is in a very difficult position. He has a population I think that’s almost half Palestinian in Jordan. His wife is a Palestinian. He’s faced a lot of pressure to condemn Israel even more than he has already. He has done everything but sever diplomatic ties.
And he is a crucial, crucial ally to the United States, especially when it comes to another regional conflict, which is the one in Syria where both Israel and Jordan have faced, I would say, a small escalation of violence in recent weeks. So each in his own way, has a really important place here.
“Certainly., and I know you have a new piece for New York Magazine about Israel and how it’s changed over the last year, which began with Netanyahu’s return to power. So much has changed, but what are your main takeaways from that?’ Romo followed up.
“Well, it was an interesting piece to think about because the Israeli government, this Israeli government took over on December 29th, so exactly a year ago right now,” Tarnopolsky began, referencing her article titled, “What Israel Lost Before October 7: The worst year in the country’s history began with Netanyahu’s return to power.”
“And I think that it’s safe to say that for most Israelis, their country after one year is simply unrecognizable,” she continued, adding:
I want to mention a poll that just came out minutes ago showing Netanyahu’s support, which was pretty weak to start off. He had a kind of barely there win last year of 64 out of 120 parliamentary seats. His his support crashes to about two thirds of that. So 45 out of 120 seats. So he’s very, very weak politically. He’s being really rejected by the Israeli public that voted him in a year ago.
And I would just want to add, following on what Ben said, that it’s announced political weakness is not necessarily good news for Antony Blinken, because Netanyahu, who was supposed to hold a pre Blinken cabinet meeting tonight on what will happen in Gaza post war canceled it when facing threats from his extreme right wing. And he may really just be trying to stonewall Blinken when he comes here.
Watch above via MSNBC.
