Netanyahu can now leave political life to be remembered as the great protector of Israel

download high resolution download low resolution add to lightbox file name: F180430MA100 File Size: 7116 KB caption (en): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposes files that prove Iran's nuclear program in a press conference at the Kirya government headquarters in Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2018.

download high resolution download low resolution add to lightbox file name: F180430MA100 File Size: 7116 KB caption (en): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposes files that prove Iran's nuclear program in a press conference at the Kirya government headquarters in Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2018.

(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)

ByDAVID BRINN

JUNE 13, 2025 14:09

“It is 1938. Iran is Germany, and it is about to arm itself with nuclear weapons.”

Thus began a speech I heard Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu give to the Jewish Federations of North America in Los Angeles in 2006.

The Holocaust analogy ruffled some feathers, but the message was received. Iran posed a serious threat to Israel, and Netanyahu was one of the few people who were talking about it.

Although he received rousing applause, it was unlikely that many in attendance continued to think about Tehran as they headed to the buffet of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. I know that I didn’t.

But Netanyahu did. Three years later, he became prime minister for the second time, a position he’s held almost continuously since then. And he continued to pound the Iran issue.

Smoke rises from a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025 (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

Smoke rises from a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025 (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

Throughout all of the years of Gaza and Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria, the Iranian threat has been foremost in his list of priorities.

Almost every time Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly, he attacked Iran with his much-maligned visual aids. He even jostled relations with Israel’s greatest ally, the US, when he addressed a joint session of Congress in 2014, slamming President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran because it didn’t take away the Islamic Republic's ability to ultimately obtain nuclear weapons.

It seems like his entire career has been leading up to Thursday night’s unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

That could be the reason he’s refused to resign over his involvement in the October 7 massacre, and why he’s refused to entertain any plea bargain in his criminal court cases, which would also lead to his leaving office.

He probably saw his life’s work as disabling Tehran’s ability to launch nuclear weapons against the Jewish state. And neither hostages in Gaza nor gifts of champagne in the Prime Minister’s Residence were going to curtail that aim.

The remarkable achievement against Iran - the depth and details of which are still unfolding - is the crowning achievement of Netanyahu’s career. If the regime topples or if Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been set back for years, it’s a game changer for the Middle East.

History will remember Netanyahu as the one who stopped a nuclear Iran

Of course, the air force, the Mossad, military intelligence, and the IDF carried out the incredible operation, but history remembers leaders, and Netanyahu was at the helm of this historic event.

Netanyahu’s desired legacy of securing the Jewish homeland for future generations seems to be on its way to fruition. We don’t know what the coming days and weeks portend, and Iran’s response could be fierce. But ultimately, Netanyahu will be remembered in the storied history of Israel as the prime minister who stopped Iran.

If he indeed is realizing that lofty ambition, there’s nothing more left for him to do. It’s time to receive the gratitude of the Israeli people, as well as the Western world which will also be unburdened by a nuclear Iran, and to let the country focus on healing the deep wounds that the last two years have opened. Take a plea bargain, establish a commission of inquiry into October 7, and step aside.

He should go out at the pinnacle, when his legacy won’t only be focused on the failure of October 7, or potentially being convicted of crimes. He can now leave political life to be remembered as the great protector of Israel.

It’s the sign of a wise person to realize when their life’s work has been accomplished. Operation Rising Lion was Netanyahu’s raison d’etre. For that, we can collectively thank him for obsessing over Iran for over two decades.

If he’s now secured Israel’s future, it’s time to let Israel’s future unfold, without him.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5737195&forum_id=2#49011486)