Bitan’s behavior

With regard to “Bill that bans probes of PM in office is DOA” (October 24), the sub-headline “Bitan flexes muscles at Likud’s coalition partners” is mild compared to the reality described in the article. MK David Bitan’s behavior is pure blackmail and bullying for no other reason than to show everyone who is the boss and to keep the Likud in power at all costs.

Reporter Lahav Harkov writes that the coalition chairman “is using the bill to settle scores against other parties.” Settling scores is what street gangs do, not responsible political leaders.

But Bitan doesn’t stop there – even legitimate criticism of the bill by the Likud’s most senior coalition partners is at best superfluous since he “will go all the way” with the bill, as he summarily declares that the only reason Kulanu party lawmakers won’t commit to supporting the initiative is because they want new elections. And just in case these aggressive bullying tactics don’t work, “the coalition chairman has frozen all other bills until he can get the other parties on board .... ”

Finally, based on the fact that “some Likud lawmakers feel that Bayit Yehudi and Kulanu have too much influence compared with Netanyahu’s much larger faction,” Bitan unflinchingly declares that “parties need to understand there are times that they need to give in.” He obviously means that all parties must give in all the time except for the Likud, which in itself is a blatant insult and violation of democracy.

Even more worrying – and outright frightening in my mind – is the fact that as coalition chairman, Bitan is supported and empowered in these tactics by the prime minister himself. GERSHON HARRIS

Hatzor Haglilit