(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Time For Regime Change - In Israel [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2026-04-09 I first heard this joke in 1982 during the Israeli bombardment of Beirut. It was told to me by a Reagan staffer in the context of a discussion of Israel’s attempts to torpedo Philip Habib’s ceasefire negotiations (Habib was Reagan’s special envoy). Here it is: “What do they call a ceasefire in the Middle East? An Israeli offensive.” I’ve had many occasions over the last 40 years to remember that joke. Only a fool would believe that Iran agreed to a ceasefire the terms of which permitted Netanyahu to keep bombing Lebanon. Pakistan was very clear that the ceasefire extended to Lebanon. It is plain that Netanyahu is hostile to the ceasefire. And it should have been plain to trumprubiohegseth from the beginning that Netanyahu is a loose cannon they would not be able to control. It may seem a long time ago given the rush of events since February 28, but it was only a few months ago that protests in Iran were providing a glimmer of hope, hope that the mullahs might be on the way out. And that’s when Netanyahu decided to attack. Indeed, the protests in Iran were very encouraging. And a non-theocratic government in Iran would have been game changing. But Bibi decided that was the time to launch another attack, and the spark of liberty in Iran was extinguished. Sound familiar? Hamas' position in Gaza was becoming very tenuous in 2018 when Netanyahu decided to facilitate Qatar's financing of Hamas. Hamas was fortified, and launched the October 7th attack, which Netanyahu has exploited with glee. And where was Netanyahu during the Arab Spring, when Egyptians roused themselves to challenge the corrupt Mubarak dictatorship? He was standing right next to Mubarak, supporting him all the way and discouraging support in the region for the protesters. Netanyahu doesn't want mideast neighbors with reasonable governments willing to make peace. He wants enemies that give him an excuse to bomb. He wants enemies that give him an excuse for "regime change", a curious euphemism for imposition of puppet governments willing to accede to Israeli hegemony, like the Shah of Iran and Mubarak. U.S. policy in the mideast will continue to fail until it recognizes that the Netanyahu regime in Israel is the regime in the mideast that requires change. The idea that the U.S. would ever use its enormous leverage to force regime change in Israel has been unthinkable. It’s time for Democrats to start thinking about it. It’s time to make clear to Israel that the U.S. will not continue to provide financial, military and diplomatic cover for the Netanyahu regime. It’s time to disassociate ourselves from Netanyahu, Smotrich, Ben-Givr and the rest of the racists in the Netanyahu regime. Now is the time. Courtesy of trump, the ranks of MAGA are beginning to see Netanyahu for what he is, namely the world’s principal purveyor of endless war. Polls show support for Israel in the U.S. continuing to decline, a trend that started with Gaza and has accelerated with the feckless attack on Iran. The Democratic Party simply cannot permit itself to be associated with the Netanyahu regime, anymore than the party could continue its association with the Dixiecrats in 1960’s. The association cannot be reconciled with the core principles of the party, and it threatens to rend the party. The message from Democrats must be corruscatingly clear: We are done with Netanyahu and the Netanyahu government. Full stop. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/9/2377133/-Time-For-Regime-Change-In-Israel?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/