Dear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
I am writing to you from Lisbon, Portugal, in a moment when the political turmoil (certainly, an exaggerated term) as a consequence of the Sept. 17 election still goes on.
I don't know what your near and long-term future will look like – and, honestly, I do not want to interfere in any way in the political outcome of the coming days. Selection of Israel's government is a matter for the Israeli people and their elected officials to decide, according to law and political convention.
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I do have some firm thoughts on it but it does not seem appropriate for me to disclose them, at least at this point. I trust that any decision by the Israeli people, through their official representatives, will be wise and supportable, and I have no doubt that President Reuven Rivlin is working to ensure that Israel's best interests will prevail.
I am writing this letter, Mr. Prime Minister, to stress some facts that, from my perspective, have been insufficiently discussed in the aftermath of the do-over election. This omission is natural and understandable, given the political struggle and dialectic that are intrinsic to democracy and electoral outcomes. However, it may be beneficial to analyze this political process from a distance and separated from Israel's day-to-day reality, as I am in Lisbon – 2,500 miles from Jerusalem.
And though I cannot know what your political, personal or professional future holds in store, I know very well what your work as the head of the Israeli government has been. And even your most strident critics must admit, your work as prime minister of the great State of Israel has, on balance, been positive.
But obviously, one may benefit from hearing constructive, deserved criticism, and there can be healthy disagreements among rational and patriotic people. Even I, from this distance, sometimes wish you'd handle certain things a bit differently. And one word describes and justifies a culture of fearless political debate: democracy.
Democracy – before, during and undoubtedly also after the years under your leadership – is one of many things that Israel can be proud of. And you, Prime Minister Netanyahu will undoubtedly be the leading actor in some of the most prestigious pages of Israeli history in the years, decades, and centuries to come.
My central motivation in sending these humble words: Over the past several days, some in the media and even some of your former supporters have suddenly begun transforming you from hero to villain.
Some of the same people who previously glorified you are now demonizing you. Is this fair? In politics, it is business as usual – there is no gratitude. On the contrary, the universal experience of politics is that when you are on top, you are adored, and when you are down, your friends and admirers abandon you.
This ingratitude is as old as politics, itself.
Nonetheless, disagreements over matters of policy are a quintessential element of democracy and it is up to the Israeli people to settle such disagreements through the democratic process.
For me, the most relevant thing is the resolution to defend the existence and security of the State of Israel.
Even now when most political analysts say you are weaker than you've been in a decade, I say thank you. Gratitude is not valued in politics but it is still an imperative of human conscience.
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for standing up to radical Islamic terrorism, when the so-called "international community" was drunk in love with US President Barack Obama's utopian and naive alliance with the exporters of worldwide terror. You had the courage to defy these "geniuses" and defend Israel and its values.
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for denouncing the barbaric regime of Iran's ayatollahs, who keep their own people hostage while spreading violence, fear, and death all over the world.
Iran is an existential threat to our values, our countries, and our peoples.
And thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for denouncing so bravely the disastrous Iran nuclear deal – an evil strangely embraced by the main European nations. (Thank God, US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from such a terrible international accord.)
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for making Israel a true startup nation with a great sense of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. Israel has become an example to the whole world of a dynamic and boundlessly creative society with a thriving economy.
Despite all the criticism, Mr. Prime Minister, I know with 100% certainty that, whatever happens, you will be, as Trump says all the time, the first cheerleader for Israel around the world. You are a true patriot who knows that there is nothing more important than acting in Israel's best long-term interests.
And despite all the controversies that the media and your political opponents have tried to pin on you, and regardless of the fact that Blue and White edged out Likud in the last election, your party remains the strongest single political organization in the country. Its members and supporters should be optimistic: Their party, on its own, won almost as many seats as Blue and White's loose coalition of three parties (Israel Resilience, Yesh Atid, and Telem) did.
Prime Minister Netanyahu: Your role defending Israel is not over yet.
You have so much yet to give – if not as prime minister, you will be an excellent speaker and professor telling people around the world the truth about Israel's wonderful democratic society.
Rumor has it – and yes, I know that this may be fake news – that you may become a visiting scholar at Princeton and another well-known American university. That would be tremendous – your brilliant lectures would be enjoyed by hundreds of students and, if made available online, by millions of others.
In the meantime, if the worst-case scenario happens, I invite you to visit Portugal, where you can explore the history of the Jewish community here, especially the Marranos about whom your brilliant father, the late Professor Benzion Netanyahu, wrote so much.
You will be very welcomed here, in the north of the country, in Belmonte, Covilhã, Fundão, Portalegre (there is so much to see and learn about Jewish life and heritage of our country!), Lisbon, Cascais … you name it!
Again, Mr. Prime Minister, the bottom line is this: Thank you. And may the legacy of your wise foreign policy and resolute defense of Israel always prevail.
With best regards,
João Lemos Esteves
