Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 6, 2024. Photo / AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 6, 2024. Photo / AP
Ariel Emanuel is chief executive of sports and entertainment companies Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings.
OPINION
This is a painful moment for all of us who love Israel. It is also a moment that demands we speak out, urgently and fearlessly, against antisemitism and for Israel’s right to defend itself— but also about the ongoing failures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the need for new leadership.
Israel is a democracy and it is of course up to the Israeli people to choose their own leaders. But Jews in America and around the world also have a stake in this and we can’t remain silent.
I remember sitting with my family watching television reports of the six-day war in 1967, praying that Israel would survive. Less than three weeks later, I was on the ground myself, one of many visits over the years that followed. As Jews, we can never forget that we must defend ourselves — and what happens when we don’t.
Israel did not start the war in Gaza. Hamas did. On October 7, they broke a ceasefire and slaughtered, raped and tortured innocent civilians. Hamas could end this war today. They could free the hostages, renounce their pledge to wipe out Israel, and stop hiding among civilians in and around schools, mosques and hospitals. They won’t and the result is immense suffering and heartbreaking Palestinian casualties.
The aftermath of an Israeli air strike on a UN-run school that killed dozens of people in Gaza's Nusseirat refugee camp on June 6, 2024. Photo / AP
That does not justify the International Criminal Court’s outrageous decision a few weeks ago to equate Israel and Hamas. It does not justify the rise in antisemitism on campuses and around the world. When students say Zionists “don’t deserve to live”, we must not excuse them as misguided kids. They are antisemitic thugs. When they chant “from the river to the sea”, they are calling for the elimination of the Jewish state. This isn’t about free speech. It’s about right and wrong.
But, for the security of Israel and the sake of innocent people on both sides, this war does need to end — not just the fighting in Gaza but the broader conflict with the Palestinians. As former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid recently said, if Israel wants to stay the strongest country in the Middle East, it must “stay the strongest democracy in the Middle East”. To do that, it must “start the long journey” to separate from the Palestinians.
Two states for two peoples, with security and dignity for all, is essential for Israel’s long-term survival as a democratic Jewish state. It is not a favour or reward for terrorism. In fact, it is the absolute last thing that Hamas wants to see. The same is true for their backers in Iran.
Getting there will require hard negotiations. But it is possible. I know a few things about striking difficult deals. My mother taught me that you don’t negotiate peace with friends. You negotiate peace with enemies.
The essential ingredient is strong and wise leaders on both sides. Unfortunately, they’re in short supply right now.
Israelis protest in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held by Hamas militants, June 1, 2024. Photo / AP
Netanyahu is a narcissist. He has failed spectacularly in keeping Israelis safe. Before October 7, he said his goal was to empower Hamas in Gaza in order to undermine the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and with it the chances of a two-state solution. So he allowed hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatar to be funnelled to Hamas.
Netanyahu has failed as a wartime leader. It’s no surprise that Hamas is popping back up in areas of Gaza already cleared once, because Netanyahu has no plan and has refused to learn the lessons of previous conflicts, including America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The generals are practically screaming that he is dangerously incompetent.
Netanyahu has no plan for how to end the war or secure the peace because that’s not his goal. He has only one plan: endless war so he can stay in office and out of jail. On that he is, so far, a success.
US Senator Chuck Schumer is right that “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah”. But that’s what’s happening. When I was growing up, any time there was a Jew in the news who had done something bad, my father would say, “He’s ruining the Jewish people’s reputation in the world!” That’s Netanyahu. He is doing lasting damage both to Israel and to Jews everywhere.
There is no contradiction in saying that Israel should do whatever it takes to free the hostages and destroy Hamas, while also seeking to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza, stop settler violence, and pursue a two-state solution. We can both mourn the deaths of innocent Palestinians and call out antisemitism wherever it lurks. These are all just causes and they are all connected. But none of it will happen with a failed, incompetent, selfish leader at the helm. Netanyahu must go.
