When ‘prophets’ become memes: Rise and fall of Benjamin Netanyahu

Great orators in history would not have been recognised as such if their words carried no value. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is neither a great orator, nor did his speech before a joint Congressional session on July 24 have actual worth. It was an expression of his desperation, if not defeat, on all fronts.

This is not new. For years, Netanyahu has served the role of a social media meme. During his United Nations General Assembly speech in September 2012, the Israeli leader displayed a bomb diagram to fan the flames for another Middle East war.

His equally bizarre map of the “New Middle East”, which he also carried during another UNGA speech on September 22, 2023, also invited mockery.

But on both occasions, as on others, Netanyahu's strategy was never intended for humour. His spectacles were carried out with the knowledge that global media would not miss the opportunity to highlight his performance with much interest. His rhetoric would often go unchallenged.

Moreover, until October 7, Netanyahu's possible risk factors, resulting from what may seem to us as outrageous behaviour and outlandish speeches, were quite minimal. To the contrary, for his Israeli constituency, appearing on the world stage with such media fanfare was always a reason for yet greater approval.

To his followers, Netanyahu served the role of the 'modern-day prophet'.

"There are very few leaders left in Israel or around the world with the capacity to fully grasp and articulate the historical and prophetic relevance of what is happening in Israel, the Middle East and around the world today," David Lazarus wrote on October 9, 2020 — almost exactly three years before the Hamas operation in southern Israel, and the most destructive Israeli war which followed.

But the supposed visionary has failed to read all the signs, not only in the lead-up to the war, but to the disastrous impact of the genocide, which will haunt his country for many years to come. Since then, the majority of Israelis have abandoned their prophet, numerous Israeli opinion polls continue to tell us.

Yet, Netanyahu appears unperturbed. He spoke at the Congress with near total lack of awareness of the new reality emanating from his failed policies and botched reading of history.

For those who may not know, Netanyahu also sells himself to Israelis as an intellectual. His intellect involves "exposing the deception", of the centrality of the Palestinian cause to the Middle East, or the so-called "theory of Palestinian centrality".

To counter that “big lie'', Netanyahu dedicated to the notion of the “reversal of causality”, as in challenging the notion that Israel, namely the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other Arab lands, is the main cause of problems in the Middle East.

Until recently, the man's theories have garnered much traction, enough, in fact, to temporarily marginalise the Palestinian cause, and to invest in new ways of shaping a “new Middle East”, where Palestine simply is not on a map.

These illusions, however, have and continue to crumble. Instead of pushing a reset button that would shape the Middle East according to Israeli priorities and interest, the Palestinians pushed it.

This time around, Netanyahu has no theories, no actual solutions, no prophetic visions, not even a ridiculous map to save his life or career. Isolated by much of the world, he rushed to the only place where he would feel safe, where people would clap for him unconditionally, even before he spoke: The US Congress.

And, indeed, they did — 39 times, including 23 standing ovations, and a total of 10 minutes and 55 seconds to be exact. But even the jolly bunch of US representatives who agreed to be part of that tragic charade will not save Netanyahu.

Here, a quick pause is needed, in appreciation for those who refused to attend Netanyahu's speech of lies, and admiration for US-Palestinian Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who held a sign throughout the whole event, reminding us, and the world, that Netanyahu is a “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide”.

Netanyahu is not a pathological liar, as he is often accused by his enemies and detractors, in Israel and elsewhere. He lies, because, at times, not telling the truth is convenient, especially when there is no accountability for lying, time and again.

In his Congress speech, however, Netanyahu did more than simply lie. He had the audacity of calling millions of Americans who protested the war "Iran's useful idiots", while perpetuating the right-wing language on the "clash between barbarism against civilisation".

Still, a few were truly impressed. Even his closest allies are abandoning him. Former US Speaker, Nancy Pelosi described his speech as “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States”. Many others found him insincere, including his own people.

When Netanyahu mattered, his speeches often led to wars, or major regional instability. But Netanyahu no longer matters, except for a few US politicians vying for reelection.

The Israeli leader had hoped to press the reset button and return to his silly theories about the irrelevance of Palestine to the Middle East, and the world. He was proven wrong, again, making him a false prophet or, at best, a failed leader.

Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out”. His other books include “My Father was a Freedom Fighter” and “The Last Earth”. Baroud is a non-resident senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Islam and global affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net