Published: 2 July 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
“IT’S TRUE THAT TRUMP came after Bibi, but he took it to the next level, and now everyone wants to copy that style. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood, and I know that you don’t fight the bully by giving him your lunch money.
“In the end, someone has to look the bully in the eye and punch him. Stand up for what they believe in. Obama and Sanders succeeded because they did just that.
“I don’t hear a politician like [Kahol Lavan leader Benny] Gantz telling me where he stands. What he’s fighting for. What excites him. How is he different from Netanyahu? What’s the plan? The man said nothing. I don’t know how you can beat the bully if you just stand there and watch him take your money.
Conservatives bombard us with messages like that; they’re better at it. Populists do it better. Nationalists do it better. That’s what’s really scary. The question is how we can use emotions – fear, love, anger – for our benefit?
“Leftist” is a dirty word in Israel? Okay. We’re leftists? Why shouldn’t we stand up and say, “Hey, I’m a leftist, and this leftist is standing up for what he believes. This leftist is talking back. This leftist wants better education for our children.” Who, exactly, doesn’t accept that?
“The left has to learn how to give as good as it gets, and immediately. To grab the narrative and turn it around at the same time.”
FULL STORY 'Stop giving the bully your lunch money': an Obama adviser's tips for Netanyahu's rivals (Haaretz)
Photo: Donald Trump greets Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, DC, February 2017 (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
