Move FM Global News

TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s predecessor has launched a blistering attack on his successor and his family.

In an op-ed piece for The Jerusalem Post, Ehud Olmert has described Mr Netanyahu as suffering from a psychotic anxiety attack, while he says his son is “disturbed,” and his wife “delusional.”

Olmert has zeroed in on the protests against Mr Netanyahu taking place across Israel and says he is out for blood.

“The prime minister and his disturbed son plan this violence. I wrote here in this column some time ago that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is after blood. Until someone bleeds, it’s impossible to force a closure under which protests are forbidden. Only when there will be bloodshed will it be possible to prevent the mass gatherings that are sending a clear message to the people occupying the house on Balfour Street who soon will need to leave and begin taking care of their own private affairs that will have nothing to do with state affairs,” he wrote.

“I oppose the political path Netanyahu has taken. I disagree with all of the moves he has taken, and I don’t believe that he will follow through with his commitments and declarations. How could I? However, I was hoping that at some point during his fight to survive he would show restraint that would define the boundaries of the public struggle, but I was wrong. It turns out that Netanyahu’s wounded soul has crossed every boundary. Our prime minister is suffering from a psychotic anxiety attack. He lives in fear he will fall from the high peaks where he feels like he belongs down into an abyss of humiliation and defeat, which at the end of the day will bring him to a place where he will need to account for all of the terrible things he’s done,” Olmert said.

“Certainly, there’s no disputing that Netanyahu is entitled to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However it is a shallow slogan. First and foremost because he himself is the only person who does not believe it. People who believe in their own innocence don’t incite, insult, offend, quarrel and wage personal wars against prosecutors, the attorney general, police officers and judges. Netanyahu is in an irrational race to raise the level of incitement because he knows that the moment he is forced to stand in court, the presumption of his innocence will crash. When that moment arrives, he will have to listen to the testimonies of people who used to be his closest aides, his most loyal supporters, who did anything and everything he or his delusional wife wanted. Finally, all of his deeds will be exposed for all to see.”

“There are quite a large number of citizens, perhaps more than he estimated when this process began, who want him out of the Prime Minister’s Office.As hope is lost that the legal process could save Netanyahu, the pandemic continues to worsen, the number of severely ill patients on respirators does not diminish and the budget deficit is at an unprecedented level and hundreds of thousands people are worried about making ends meet, Netanyahu has lost faith in his ability to stop the tide that is coming in and threatening his personal freedom, his future and his survival,” the former Israeli prime minister said.

“Netanyahu wants blood. The real blood of citizens and of police officers. He is an expert in generating incitement, in causing strife and fostering factionalism. This is the path he took during his first campaign for prime minister, over the body of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.”

“Now, he’s hoping to pave the path to undermining Israel’s democratic way of life, so that it could help him ban the legitimate demonstrations carried out by hundreds of thousands of citizens who are fed up with him for firing the attorney-general, shutting down the prosecution, and freezing court activity in an effort to save himself.”

“The police force is getting dragged into this commotion against its will. There’s no doubt that many police officers, including senior officials, are losing their ability to remain objective and restrained in their commitment amidst the chaos created by the house on Balfour Street. Everyone here the police officers and protesters alike are victims of this atmosphere of incitement that is being crated by Benjamin and Yair Netanyahu, along with their supporters and spokespeople who are being dragged along after them,” wrote Olmert.

“It’s not going to end well. The future of the State of Israel is at stake. The stability of its institutions are being brought into question and the basic rules of the game are being undermined, without which there is not possibility for hope. We are moving so close to the point of no return when it will no longer be possible to control what’s happening on the streets.The residents of the house on Balfour Street are indeed beaten people. They are doomed and haunted by fears. They are in conflict with themselves, with their souls, with their status as human beings. They are no longer qualified to take responsibility for themselves or for us. If they were just regular citizens, it is extremely likely that the district psychiatrist would have ordered them be involuntarily hospitalized. Under the current circumstances, it’s the public that needs to issue the restraining order. It will arrive soon enough. Let’s hope it will precede the earthquake that could destroy everything that has been built in this country.”