Comparing Longstanding Leaders Ben Gurion and Netanyahu

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NEWS DESK | Benjamin Netanyahu is now tied with David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister and founder, for the long tenure as prime minister. How do the pair stack up against each other? Our Ellie Hochenberg compares.

Story:

Renowned New York Times columnist Thomas Friendman unleashed a scathing attack on Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, accusing the prime minister of trying to turn Israel into a “Jewish banana republic.”

Friedman, 65, delivered the harsh remarks after being invited on to CNN to discuss his latest column, which claimed that “if you care about Israel, pay attention, because the country you admire is on the line.”

After delivering a short summary of the legal challenges Netanyahu is set to face later this year, including impending corruption charges, Friedman said that there’s a real possibility of Netanyahu going to prison. 

The American-Jewish journalist said, however, that recent efforts by Netanyahu to protect himself from prosecution, including an attempt to pass a controversial “immunity law” that would shield him from the courts until his time as prime minister ends, would transform Israel into a “Jewish banana Republic.”

"Every friend of Israel in the world, whether Jewish or not, will have to make a moral choice - can they support a state that becomes a Jewish banana republic," Friedman said, adding that the upcoming elections are not ordinary elections: "These are elections for Israel's identity as a Jewish democracy.”

He added that Netanyahu's allies in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), especially those in the religious-Zionist bloc, were willing to pass immunity legislation to protect Netanyahu in exchange for annexing the all or parts of the West Bank.

Those efforts have for the time being halted after former Israeli defense minister Avigdor Liberman refused to join Netanyahu’s coalition government over a dispute regarding the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox youths into the Israel Defense Forces.

The impasse eventually led to Netanyahu calling for another general election set for September 7.