Latma is a famous Israeli satire program that focuses on the Israeli political scene. Most of it’s programs deal with internal political issues and therefore may not be understood by those outside of Israel. But this video clip like some of their others is a masterpiece.
Today, one of the main issues at the fore in the State of Israel is the issue of Israel declaring sovereignty on major parts of it’s heartland. This is the culmination of years of efforts of hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who have fought to insure that Israel has safe borders. Benjamin Netanyahu successfully outmaneuvered Barack Obama for eight long years in order to make sure that Israel would not have to lose control over it’s historic homeland. There is indeed no logical reason that Israel or any other country would give away parts of it’s ancestral homeland – especially if it endangers the country’s existence.
But today, there is a major pressure campaign being waged against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this issue. The pressure is both from the left and the right. It will not be easy for Netanyahu to stand strong and take the risk. He may even lose his government. But as this clip clearly portrays, this is about standing up to the pessimists. Just like David Ben-Gurion and Lord Balfour stood up to pressure from their peers after World War I and World War II, Benjamin Netanyahu needs to stand up and say that this is a historic moment that must not be missed. The pessimists are indeed using logical arguments. Indeed, the pessimists were right in 1948. The Arab Armies would all invade the day after Israel declared a State. But there is not one person today who doesn’t think that Ben-Gurion was right. This is not as momentous as then. But the stakes are indeed very high and this is indeed a moment that will cement Netanyahu’s legacy if he stands proud and declares sovereignty.