Netanyahu has largely called the shots—albeit in a fairly ballistic way—for the last six days. His administration’s furious response to a non-binding UN resolution calling for the end of Israeli settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territory has dictated and framed much of the coverage of the not at all unprecedented act.
That may have changed on Wednesday, however. First, John Kerry gave a comprehensive speech about Israel’s failures to create the conditions for lasting peace within its own borders. Though far from blistering, the speech undercut many of Netanyahu’s core arguments while making a strong case that the international community—both governments and people—are opposed to settlement construction and in favor of a two state solution.
And then, less than an hour after Kerry’s long speech, Israel’s attorney general announced it was launching a criminal probe to investigate allegations of bribery and fraud that have been leveled against Netanyahu. The probe into Netanyahu’s affairs has repeatedly been ongoing for months—the investigation centers on a payment of 1 million euros Netanyahu allegedly received from a convicted French fraudster, and trips Netanyahu took abroad with his family. Netanyahu has reacted exactly how you would expect him to:
.@netanyahu on Secretary Kerry's speech: "A speech that was almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the U.N. last week" pic.twitter.com/e9f4Kjxfwe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 28, 2016