Netanyahu's 'biblical prophecy' comment is aimed at diaspora Jews

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer a strong premier, as he has struggled to form a government in the past two years with his voter base continually shrinking, making him desperate for diplomatic victories in order to regain an unquestionable legitimacy.   

As Tel Aviv signed normalisation deals with some Arab states, starting from the usual suspect the UAE, Netanyahu has been craving to take the full credit for leading the diplomacy that eventually resulted in the signing of what they called the Abraham Accord. 

To put a cherry on top of the normalisation deal, Netanyahu recently made a bizarre remark, saying the so-called Abraham Accord fulfilled 'a biblical prophecy'.

For regional experts, the comment was nothing but a politically calibrated message crafted for the Jewish diaspora, which has grown increasingly wary of him especially in the US. 

“One of the main reasons for this change of tactics is that the Jewish diaspora around the world, especially in the United States, has lost credibility due to Netanyahu. For example, even Biden's win over Trump, who has an extreme bias in favour of Israel in states with large Jewish populations, shows that American Jews feel some responsibility for Israel's unfair attitude towards Palestine,” Selim Han Yeniacun, who has authored two books on Palestine-Israel conflict in Turkish, told TRT World. 

Yeniacun said the Likud leader has created the perception of Israel facing multiple enemies, exploiting the fear for many years in domestic politics. But after normalising ties with a handful of Arab states, Yeniacun added, Netanyahu feels compelled to soften his discourse to earn some appreciation among the Jewish people living abroad. 

According to Yeniacun, Netanyahu is trying his best to avoid being crushed between the growing polarisation in the Israeli society and the intra-party conflicts the Likud is embroiled in. As the new election is slated in March 2021, he seeks to gain international support and repair his relations with American Jews who largely supported the catholic President-elect Joe Biden. 

In his Christmas greetings, Netanyahu used expressions like "peace on earth," one of the most cherished sentiments in Christianity. 

“While even an ordinary person from any religion who sincerely prays to God has more potential to be a Messiah than Netanyahu, I believe that the prime minister, whose words are not a divine reference but a case of corruption, is a common ‘call for support’ to both the Jewish diaspora and evangelical wing, who are the current supporters of Christian-Zionism,” Yeniacun told TRT World. 

Netanyahu is not only grappling with a strong and argumentative opposition but also the declining trend in his approval ratings. According to one of Israel's most experienced campaign strategists Eyal Arad, Netanyahu's "favorability numbers have been declining — by about 15-20 percent in recent months, even among Likud voters, the core of his base."

The embattled prime minister even faced a series of protests in the summer. The protesters demanded his resignation over a range of issues from his failure in handling the coronavirus pandemic to corruption charges and poor economy. 

He maintained his grip on power by stitching an alliance with his rival Benny Gantz. The two leaders came together on the promise of fighting the pandemic in unison and agreed on a rotational prime ministership, with Netanyahu governing the country until November and allowing Gantz to take the reins of the country. But Netanyahu, citing a legal loophole, refused to pass the country's budget until 2021, which froze Gantz's chances to succeed Netanyahu. 

Succeeding in stopping Gantz in his tracks, Netanyahu is now going to face the fourth consecutive election within two years. Pollsters and pundits have already described the race as an "Only Bibi vs. Just not Bibi" election.