The End of Israel? National Leaders Say Netanyahu Is ‘Existential’ Threat to Country

23 hours ago

© AP Photo / Abir Sultan

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The longtime Prime Minister has presided over a deterioration of Israel’s economy and international standing amidst widespread criticism of his military campaign in Gaza.

A group of 43 prominent figures from throughout Israeli society have released a letter demanding the “immediate removal” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“As key contributors to the country’s defense and to one of the world’s strongest economies over the past decades, we strongly believe that Netanyahu represents an existential and ongoing threat to the people and to the state of Israel,” read the missive, signed by six former Israeli military and security chiefs and three Nobel Prize winners, in addition to a number of CEOs, scientists, and former diplomats.

Netanyahu is a “clear and present danger” to the country read the statement, which claimed “Israel has leaders capable of replacing him immediately.”

The letter was delivered to the Israeli parliament and President Isaac Herzog. Copies were also sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, underscoring the importance of Israel’s largest state benefactor in the country’s governance.

The remarkable act of defiance comes as the economic damage of Israel’s almost four-month long state of war sets in. Some 360,000 reservists, or about four percent of Israel’s population, were calledinto military service in the days after Hamas’ October 7 operation. Nearly half a million people have fled the country.

The unprecedented societal upheaval caused a labor shortageeven before the Houthis’ effective blockade of the Red Sea in recent weeks damaged the economy further. When Israel pulled thousands of troops from Gaza earlier this month, Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari admitted the government hoped to “ease the burden on the economy.”

But Israeli society faced political turmoil before October 7 as demonstrators flooded the streets to protest Netanyahu’s planned judicial reform package. The Israeli Supreme Court recently struck down the legislation, ruling in an 8-7 decision that the prime minister’s proposal would harm “the core character of the State of Israel as a democratic country.”