Two Netanyahu truths: How political tribalism threatens to tear apart Israel
Our challenge, as people of faith, is to learn from these divisions without being consumed by them
As nations face war or crisis, political divisions often intensify. The case of Eli Feldstein - a former Netanyahu advisor arrested for allegedly leaking classified documents - has become a defining moment in Israel's ongoing debate about Netanyahu's leadership, with his supporters and opponents looking at exactly the same events and seeing radically different realities.
This case crystallizes fundamental questions about Netanyahu's governance: How should power be balanced between his elected leadership and state institutions? How should classified information be handled when it potentially reveals conflicts between the Prime Minister's Office and other government bodies?
Israel under Netanyahu's leadership is navigating a series of profound and interconnected crises that defy simple analysis. The ongoing war, negotiations over hostages, tensions between Netanyahu and state institutions, and debates over the proper role of his government create a complex web of narratives that is nearly impossible to untangle in real-time.
Much of the crucial information remains classified, other details are interpreted differently by Netanyahu's supporters and critics, and the full context of many events won't be clear for years to come.
Therefore, the Feldstein case can serve as a window into the deepening divide over Netanyahu's leadership in Israeli society.
This specific event shows how Israelis’ opinions of Netanyahu shape their understanding of current events.
Given how much information remains censored, ALL ISRAEL NEWS won't try to determine who's right – but this case allows us to lay out how different perspectives on Netanyahu's leadership create competing interpretations of Israel's challenges.
The timeline: A six-month sequence
To understand the Feldstein affair, it's crucial to follow its chronological development throughout 2024:
June 2024: A military intelligence NCO allegedly extracts classified documents about Hamas's hostage negotiation strategy and sends them to Netanyahu advisor Eli Feldstein.
July-August: Feldstein holds the documents while tensions rise over stalled hostage negotiations. After Hamas kills six Israeli hostages in late August, he attempts publication through Israeli media but is blocked by the Military Censor.
September: Working with Netanyahu's team, Feldstein arranges publication in German newspaper "Bild." After publication, fellow advisor Urich allegedly messages: "The boss is happy." IDF Chief orders investigation, later transferred to Shin Bet.
November: Authorities arrest Feldstein and the NCO. Both are held nine days without counsel. On November 21, prosecutors charge them with transmitting secret information with the aim of harming state security, carrying potential life sentences.
Netanyahu opponents' perspective: "A dangerous assault on democratic institutions"
For Netanyahu's opponents, the Feldstein case represents far more than just another document leak - it epitomizes what they see as Netanyahu's systematic erosion of democratic institutions and the dangerous centralization of power in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The emotional core of their outrage centers on what they view as the cynical manipulation of classified intelligence for political gain. As prominent journalist Ben Caspit articulates: "If this document was so crucial, why sit on it from June until September? The answer is clear - it only became 'important' on August 31st, when six hostages were murdered in Gaza and Netanyahu's office desperately needed something to stem the tide of public anger."
But beyond the emotional response lies a deeper institutional concern. After Netanyahu released a video defending Feldstein and attacking the investigation - claiming it was politically motivated and comparing investigators' methods to those used against terrorists - former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen charged: "How can the Prime Minister say these things? He is the direct commander of the Shin Bet chief! What message does this send to thousands of employees when he casts doubt on their organization's head?"
For Netanyahu's opponents, his public attack on the investigation represents a dangerous undermining of Israel's hallowed security establishment, whose institutions have traditionally operated above partisan politics. They point to specific facts that reinforce their narrative:
- The document was rejected by the Military Censor as potentially damaging to national security
- Instead of respecting this decision, Netanyahu's office allegedly circumvented it through foreign media, which critics say endangers Israeli intelligence sources
- The leak appears coordinated with multiple senior advisors in the PMO, suggesting systematic rather than individual action
- Netanyahu's response attacking the investigation echoes his broader attacks on Israel's law enforcement institutions, including the Attorney General's office and the State Prosecutor, as well as the judicial reform, which opponents see as a broad attack on Israeli democracy itself.
Netanyahu's opponents see particular significance in the fact that the document reached Bild, a German newspaper known for its close relationship with Netanyahu's media team. They argue this shows a pattern of using foreign media to bypass Israel's democratic institutions and safeguards.
Netanyahu supporters' perspective: "Deep state persecution"
Netanyahu supporters see this case as evidence of bias and selective enforcement by what they term "the deep state" - Israel's permanent bureaucracy within the justice and security systems.
Netanyahu's recent nine-minute video response captures this perspective powerfully. Speaking directly to the camera, the prime minister points to numerous classified leaks throughout the war, none of which triggered similar investigations.
"Only here, suddenly, they investigate," Netanyahu argues. "And not just investigate but accompany it with bombastic headlines about 'document forgery in the Prime Minister's Office.'"
His supporters back this narrative with specific examples of what they see as more serious leaks that harmed state security but went uninvestigated:
Details from an October 11 security discussion in "the Pit" (Israel's most secure underground command center); Sensitive information about hostage negotiations leaked to opposition-aligned newspaper Haaretz; the leak of controversial footage from Sde Teman prison that damaged Israel's international standing; and regular leaks from Security Cabinet meetings to Channel 12 and Channel 13.
Feldstein's treatment raised the emotional intensity to another level. Knesset Member Simcha Rotman, an architect of the judicial reform and prominent Netanyahu supporter, visited Feldstein in the Shin Bet facility and emerged shaken. "Feldstein is encountering the most atrocious and crushing system in Israel," Rotman declared. Netanyahu's supporters are particularly outraged by what they see as excessive measures in Feldstein's arrest and detention - measures they say are usually reserved for Palestinian terror suspects:
Special operations unit agents in masks conducting night raids
Nine days without access to legal counsel under special security provisions
Detention conditions in the Shin Bet's high-security facility
Reports of Feldstein being placed on suicide watch after signs of severe distress
For Netanyahu's supporters, there's deep symbolic meaning in Feldstein's background, a model of ultra-Orthodox integration. He was a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) man who took the unusual step of moving from the world of Torah study to military service as an IDF spokesman and eventually to public service. To see him treated "worse than terrorists" for what they view as trying to ensure crucial information reaches elected leadership strikes a particularly painful chord.
The narrative extends beyond Feldstein himself, as according to his attorney, he "didn't act alone. He provided consulting services in the Prime Minister's Office - if there are complaints, direct them there."
Netanyahu's supporters are convinced that the real target isn't Feldstein but Netanyahu himself, using what they view as selective prosecution to undermine democratic governance by an elected leader.
Critical reflection: The danger of political tribalism
The Feldstein case reveals something profound and lamentable about Israel’s current political discourse: The same sequence of events generates two opposite yet internally consistent narratives, each deeply felt and passionately believed by its adherents.
For Netanyahu's opponents, every detail of the case fits perfectly into their narrative of Netanyahu as a manipulative leader willing to sacrifice anything - even national security and the pain of hostage families - for political survival.
For his supporters, the same details serve as clear evidence of institutional persecution and selective enforcement targeting those loyal to the prime minister while protecting his adversaries.
What makes this particularly dangerous is how each narrative becomes self-reinforcing. Every new piece of information, every development, is automatically interpreted through these existing frameworks. There's no room for nuance, no space for complexity.
This is the toxic nature of modern political tribalism - it demands total commitment to a particular narrative while rejecting any information that might complicate or challenge it.
When we bind ourselves too tightly to political allegiances, we risk losing our ability to see truth in its full complexity and become unable to acknowledge valid points from the other side or question our positions.
The real danger isn't in having strong views about Netanyahu's leadership - it's in letting those views become our primary lens for understanding reality.
When personal loyalty trumps our commitment to truth and partisan narratives become more important than facts, we've crossed a dangerous line.
This is why maintaining independence from absolute political alignment isn't just preferable - it's crucial for our intellectual integrity. We must resist the pull of political tribalism that demands we choose one narrative and reject all others. Instead, we should strive to understand multiple perspectives while maintaining our ability to think critically and independently.
Israel has been through this before
The Feldstein case is a mirror reflecting Israel’s dangerous descent into political tribalism. Our challenge, as people of faith, is to learn from these divisions without being consumed by them.
Scripture offers profound wisdom for such moments. "Cursed is the one who trusts in man" (Jeremiah 17:5) and "every man is a liar," (Psalm 116:11) the Bible warns us. "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
We each have our versions of truth that feel certain - yet these very certainties can still us astray, even when we believe we have mastered all the details. Our place is to approach these complex situations with humility, continually seeking God's will. This doesn't mean abandoning our convictions, but it does mean regularly inviting God to be Lord over our perception of reality.
What then if we hold a strong belief that God is using a certain modern leader and has anointed them for a special task? Then even more, we would argue, humility is our best option - even leaders in the Bible who were divinely anointed often fell short, even to the point of endangering the very assignment they were anointed for. David, Samson and Moses are just a few examples.
We would do well to remember the cry that split ancient Israel: "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son?" (1 Kings 12:16). This moment of political division had devastating consequences for God's people - not because one side was necessarily right or wrong, but because the very act of division itself carried spiritual costs neither side fully anticipated.
As we navigate today’s political conflicts, this serves as a sobering reminder that when we let our certainties and grievances drive us apart, we risk something far deeper than just political unity.
At ALL ISRAEL NEWS, we don’t seek to determine absolute truth, but to warn against the spiritual and intellectual dangers of unconditional political loyalty in this increasingly polarized country and the world at large.
The ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editorial team expresses our view on various issues that we consider important as we cover the news and events impacting Israel and the Middle East.