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In what appear to be the final days of his historic 12-year rule, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not leaving the political stage quietly, AP reported.
The longtime leader is accusing his opponents of betraying their voters, and some have needed special security protection.
Netanyahu says he is the victim of a deep state conspiracy. He speaks in apocalyptic terms when talking about the country without his leadership.
They are uprooting the good and replacing it with the bad and dangerous, Netanyahu told the conservative Channel 20 TV station this week. I fear for the destiny of the nation.
Such language has made for tense days as Netanyahu and his loyalists make a final desperate push to try to prevent a new government from taking office on Sunday. With his options running out, it has also provided a preview of Netanyahu as opposition leader.
For those who have watched Netanyahu dominate Israeli politics for much of the past quarter century, his recent behaviour is familiar.
He frequently describes threats both large and small in stark terms. He has belittled his rivals and thrived by using divide-and-conquer tactics. He paints his Jewish opponents as weak, self-hating leftists, and Arab politicians as a potential fifth column of terrorist sympathizers.
He routinely presents himself in grandiose terms as the only person capable of leading the country through its never-ending security challenges.
Under his term, identity politics are at an all-time high, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a non-partisan think tank.
It is a formula that has served Netanyahu well. He has led the right-wing Likud party with an iron fist for over 15 years, racking up a string of electoral victories that earned him the nickname, King Bibi.
