Putin and Netanyahu: Why Bad Things Happen to Bad Leaders

upending the courts, apparently hoping to slip it past the public.

It is shocking to me how much Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have in common these days: Both see themselves as great strategic chess players in a world where, they think, everyone else knows only how to play checkers. And yet both completely misread the world in which they were operating.

In fact, they misread it so badly that it looks as if each is not playing chess or checkers but rather Russian roulette — all by themselves. Russian roulette is not meant to be played alone, but alone they both are.

Putin thought that he could capture Kyiv in a few days and thus — at a very low cost — use Russian expansion into Ukraine to forever blunt European Union and NATO expansion. He might have gotten close but for the fact that his isolation and self-delusion resulted in his getting his own army wrong, Ukraine’s army wrong, the NATO allies wrong, President Joe Biden wrong, the Ukrainian people wrong, Sweden wrong, Finland wrong, Poland wrong, Germany wrong and the European Union wrong. In the process, he’s made Russia into an energy colony of China and a beggar for Iran’s drones.

For someone who has been at the top of the Kremlin since 1999, that’s a whole lot of wrong.

Netanyahu and his coalition thought they could pull off a quick judicial coup, disguised as a legal “reform,” that would enable them to exploit the narrowest of election victories — roughly 30,000 votes out of some 4.7 million — to allow Netanyahu & Co. to govern without having to worry about the only source of restraint on politicians in Israel’s system: its independent judiciary and Supreme Court.

Interestingly, at the first formal meeting of Netanyahu’s Cabinet, in December, he listed his government’s four priorities: blocking Iran, restoring personal security for every Israeli, addressing the cost of living and the shortage of housing, and widening the circle of peace with surrounding Arab states. He didn’t mention

Wrong. A vast majority of the Israeli public got it immediately and responded with the largest public backlash to any proposed legislation in the country’s history.

The opposition is now throughout Israeli society and beyond:

Netanyahu got his army wrong, his technology startup community wrong, Biden wrong and, polls show, most Israeli voters wrong. He got the base of his own party wrong, too: While there have been massive, broad-based protests every week against his judicial overhaul, there hasn’t been a single large-scale grassroots demonstration in support.

Netanyahu even got some of his most ardent conservative American Jewish supporters wrong. Miriam Adelson, writing in Israel Hayom, the right-wing Israeli newspaper founded by her billionaire late husband, Sheldon, decried the way in which the prime minister was trying to “dash” through such a significant change. It raises “questions about the root objectives and concern that this is a hasty, injudicious and irresponsible move,” she wrote, adding, “Bad motivations never bring about good outcomes.”

For someone serving as prime minister for the sixth time, that’s a whole a lot of wrong.

So, what comes next? You guessed it — both Netanyahu and Putin are blaming outside agitators and foreign funding for their problems. It’s right out of the dictators’ handbook. While Putin regularly blames the U.S. and NATO for his military failures in Ukraine, The Times of Israel reported over the weekend that Netanyahu and his family have begun hinting that the State Department is the hidden hand funding the huge protests.

The newspaper quoted a “senior government official” on Netanyahu’s recent trip to Rome — sourcing usually used by the prime minister to hide his identity — as saying: “There is an organized center from which all the demonstrators branch out in an orderly manner. Who finances the transportation, the flags, the stages? It’s clear to us.” The paper added, “Another member of the premier’s entourage confirmed that the senior official was referring to the United States.”

How could two leaders get so many things wrong, despite having been in power for so many years? The question answers itself:

They’ve been in power for so many years. Each man has built up enemies and trails of alleged corruption that leave them feeling it’s rule or die.

In Netanyahu’s case, that would mean figuratively dying: He’s currently on trial on multiple corruption charges, and if convicted he could face jail time and an end to his life in politics. In Putin’s case, it could mean literally dying, at the hands of his enemies.

Netanyahu’s rule-or-die fears led him to form a coalition with two ex-convicts and a rogue’s gallery of Jewish supremacists. Many were shunned by past prime ministers — indeed, previously by Netanyahu himself — but in his desperation he had to partner with them today because he’d been abandoned by so many decent members of Likud.

Putin, alas, is well beyond coalition-building and sharing power. That was Putin 1.0 in the early 2000s. Putin 2.0, after 24 years in charge, knows that a leader like him — who has stolen as much money as he has — could never trust any successor to let him peacefully retire to his reported $1 billion mansion on the Black Sea. (His official salary is $140,000 a year.) He knows that to live or to at least live freely, he must remain president for life. So, Putin’s two greatest innovations have been poison underwear and poison-tipped umbrellas to dispense with perceived enemies.

What’s most interesting to me is how Netanyahu and Putin each misread his own military. Putin has had to increasingly rely on convicts and mercenaries to carry the brunt of his war in Ukraine, while tens of thousands of Russian men have fled abroad to escape his draft.

In Israel, air force pilots, army doctors and cyberwarriors have all warned that the Israel Defense Forces are not going to just salute an Israeli dictator. Those speaking out include three retired senior officers, led by Joab Rosenberg, a former deputy head analyst for IDF intelligence, who flew to Washington this week to try to enlist American help in stopping Netanyahu’s slow-motion coup.

As Moshe Ya’alon, a former Netanyahu defense minister and a former army chief of staff, recently told a rally in Tel Aviv: “According to my personal experience as a soldier and commander, if, God forbid, Israel will become a dictatorship, we will not have enough soldiers who will be ready to sacrifice their lives to defend the country, and it will cause an existential threat to the State of Israel. We just have to watch the poor performance of Putin’s armed forces, lacking the spirit and lacking the confidence in their dictator and his path,” to see what dictatorship does to an army.

Finally, both Putin and Netanyahu completely underestimated the speed at which the electronic herd of global investors would stampede out of their countries in the wake of their reckless behavior. According to The Financial Times’ fDi Markets database, last year only 13 foreign direct investment projects were tracked in Russia, “the lowest level since records began in 2003.”

Assaf Rappaport, a co-founder of one of the hottest Israeli startups, the $10 billion-valued cloud security firm Wiz, told me over breakfast in Washington that the Israeli tech community “could survive the Palestinian uprisings, suicide bombers and Hamas missiles on Tel Aviv.”

But, economically speaking, it “can’t survive” a threat to Israel’s independent judiciary. His foreign investors just told him not to bank his latest funding round, $300 million, in Israel. Going forward, he added, more and more Israeli startups will register as Delaware companies, not Israeli ones.

One more similarity that leads to a huge difference. Putin and Netanyahu have both surrounded them- selves with yes-men, party hacks and total ciphers — no one with any independent political standing or ethical backbone who can stand up and say: “What are you doing? Stop. This is wrong. Cut your losses.”

But this leads to one big difference between them.

The world is divided into more than 24 time zones. Russia alone spans 11. Israel fits into one. Putin can afford a long war of attrition in Ukraine, where he never has to admit he was mistaken. He has huge margins for his errors. Israel does not. The wisest Israeli leaders have always understood that they need to carefully guard their resources and bond with their allies — through not only shared interests but also shared values.

Yet Netanyahu’s extremist coalition is now taking on the Palestinians and Iran militarily while ignoring the wishes and values of its most important ally, the U.S. government; its most important diaspora community, American Jews; and its most important source of economic growth, foreign investors. And it’s doing all of that while dividing the Israeli people to the brink of a civil war.

It’s madness. Or, to put it differently: Russia can survive a leader who plays Russian roulette. Israel may not.

By Thomas L. Friedman

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

The following was given first reading at the February 27, 2023 City Council meeting. A public hearing, second reading, and final City Council action is scheduled for Monday, March 13, 2023 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard.

(TO23-02) ORDINANCE TO AMEND ORDINANCES 2024, 2045, AND 2056 REGARDING THE BUDGET OF EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 FOR THE GENERAL FUND, THE SCHOOL OPERATING FUND, SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICES FUND, THE CABLE ACCESS FUND, AND THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDS

The proposed ordinance would amend the FY2023 budget to appropriate new revenues and change appropriations for some capital projects.

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. Remote participation information at www.fallschurchva.gov/publiccomment.

Comments may also be sent to cityclerk@ fallschurchva.gov. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-2485014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www.fallschurchva.gov/councilmeetings.

The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH, CITY CLERK

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

The following was given first reading at the February 13, 2023 City Council meeting. A public hearing, second reading, and final City Council action is scheduled for Monday, March 27, 2023 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard.

(TO23-01) ORDINANCE TO AMEND, REENACT, AND RECODIFY CHAPTER 48, “ZONING” AS FOLLOWS: ADD A DEFINITION OF OUTDOOR DINING TO ARTICLE I “IN GENERAL” SEC. 48-2 “DEFINITIONS;” ADD A NEW DIVISION 11 “OUTDOOR DINING” TO ARTICLE V “SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS” IN ORDER TO CREATE STANDARDS FOR CREATION AND REGULATION OF OUTDOOR DINING USES; AND ADD REFERENCES TO THE NEW DIVISION 11 TO:

(1) ARTICLE IV “DISTRICTS,” DIVISION 9

“B-1 LIMITED BUSINESS DISTRICT” SEC. 48-457; DIVISION 10 “B-2 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT” SEC. 48-490; DIVISION 11 “B-3 GENERAL BUSINESS DISTRICT” SEC. 48-525; AND DIVISION 13 “O-D OFFICIAL DESIGN” SEC. 48-589 AND (2) ARTICLE V “SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS” DIVISION 2 “OFF STREET PARKING REQUIREMENTS” SUBDIVISION IV “REGULATION OF USE TYPES” SEC. 48-1003 “PARKING REQUIREMENTS BY USE”

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. Remote participation information at www.fallschurchva.gov/publiccomment.

Comments may also be sent to cityclerk@ fallschurchva.gov. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-248-

5014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www.fallschurchva.gov/councilmeetings.

The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH, CITY CLERK PUBLIC NOTICE

The City of Falls Church Historic Architectural Review Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 7:00 PM in City Hall’s Dogwood Room (first floor), 300 Park Ave, Falls Church, VA 22043 to consider the following:

PROPOSED ALTERATION OF 209 MIDVALE ST: REMOVAL OF EXISTING GARAGE FOR PROPOSED CARRIAGE HOUSE ATTATCHED TO HOME BY BREEZEWAY.

Information or copies of the proposed alteration can be viewed at the Community Planning and Economic Development Services (CPEDS) counter at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA, Monday through Friday (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

You may contact the Planning Division at plan@fallschurchva.gov with any questions or concerns.

This location is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities and special services or assistance may be requested in advance. (TTY 711)

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE PLANNING COMMISSION

NOTICE: On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., the City of Falls Church Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and meeting. Public comments can be submitted ahead of time to jtrainor@fallschurchva. gov and pstoddard@fallschurchva.gov.

The Planning Commission will consider the following item and recommendation to City Council:

(TR23-06) RESOLUTION TO AMEND SPECIAL EXCEPTION SE04-0162, AS PREVIOUSLY AMENDED THROUGH RESOLUTION 2012-01, TO FURTHER AMEND CERTAIN COMMERCIAL USE RESTRICTIONS ON THE GROUND FLOOR SPACES AT 400-412 SOUTH MAPLE AVENUE (PEARSON SQUARE)

The Planning Commission will consider an action on an application to amend the previously submitted and accepted resolution and Voluntary Concessions for the Pearson Square Building (400-412 S Maple Avenue).

The Applicant is seeking to lease approximately 1,635 of currently vacant space to an architectural firm. Under the current commercial programming restrictions (established by condition 3 in Resolution 2012-01, attached), the allowable square footage for office uses has been reached.

The Applicant has applied to amend the commercial programming of the Pearson Square ground floor commercial space (as included in the Applicant’s materials, attached), as follows:

1. To increase the overall retail service uses and/or business and professional uses limit from 11,000 square feet to 14,000 square feet for the total 19,000 square feet of commercial space.

2. To increase the business or professional office uses limit from 2,400 square feet to 4,000 square feet, with the limitation that it is within the proposed 14,000 square feet limit for retail service, and/or business, professional offices uses.

3. To increase the existing maximum lease term from 10 to 20

CLASSIFIEDS years for business, professional, medical, or dental office uses.

Meeting agenda and materials will be available prior to the public meeting on the Planning Commission webpage: http:// www.fallschurchva.gov/PC. More information about the proposed amendments to Pearson Square’s Voluntary Concessions, Community Benefits, Terms and Conditions are available within the Planning Commission’s April 5, 2023 meeting agenda, also accessible on the Planning Commission webpage.

This location is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities and special services or assistance may be requested in advance. (TTY 711)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY COUNCIL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

A public hearing and final City Council action on the following is scheduled for Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard.

(TR23-06) RESOLUTION TO AMEND

SPECIAL EXCEPTION SE04-0162, AS PREVIOUSLY AMENDED THROUGH RESOLUTION 2012-01, TO FURTHER AMEND CERTAIN COMMERCIAL USE RESTRICTIONS ON THE GROUND FLOOR SPACES AT 400-412 SOUTH MAPLE AVENUE (PEARSON SQUARE)

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. Remote participation information at www.fallschurchva.gov/publiccomment. Comments may also be sent to cityclerk@ fallschurchva.gov. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s office at (703-2485014) or cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov or visit www.fallschurchva.gov/councilmeetings.

The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5014 (TTY 711).

CELESTE HEATH, CITY CLERK

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“Even though the city is still doing well and we grew up and saw the joy of civics,” Peter said, “we’re still getting hit by lack of social connection and hopefully there’s an inspiration to get back to those peak times in F.C.”

Jason Motlagh’s “Riders on the Storm” focuses on two brothers in Afghanistan who battle to make their names and keep a family legacy alive as their country falls apart. Falls Church native Motlagh, the co-director and producer of the film, said he was inspired to make “Riders on the Storm” after documenting the “grim” aspects of the war up close in Afghanistan since 2006.

“I fell in love with the country and its people and wanted to share a rich part of their culture that outsiders seldom see,” Motlagh said.

As a 1999 GMHS alum, Motlagh said he started making films in Falls Church, using a “crappy handycam and tapes,” and hopes his latest film will be screened in the Little City soon.

“That was some of the most fun I’ve had making films,” Motlagh said. “Collaborating with friends was, and still is, the best part.”

During production, Motlagh said U.S. forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan, leading the Afghan government to collapse and the Taliban taking control. A low point during filming was “witnessing life” as the main subjects knew it “slipped away,” and the pain they felt having to abandon their homeland.

“War and loss are inseparable from our film,” Motlagh said. “But we want audiences to experience Afghan culture in a vibrant and immersive way that stands apart from the gloomy, militarycentric approach typical of many films.”

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

by Brian Reach Falls Church News-Press

Simon Officially Files Paperwork

Delegate Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church) officially filed his paperwork, and will be on the ballot in June for the Democratic Primary for the new House District 13.

The new district lines have forced Simon into the same district as Kaye Kory (D-Annandale), who has yet to publicly announce whether a primary battle is in our future. The two have immense respect for one another, and either way we lose a great public servant.

Is Trump Getting Arrested?

Like many fairly liberal folks, the fact that this hasn’t already happened is pretty remarkable to this writer, but apparently this week is the week. Or maybe next week. Or maybe never.

Either way, the former President is already calling for more civil unrest if he is, so he obviously hasn’t learned any lessons in the 14 months since the insurrection.

Yielding

My Time... Read Above

Covering this week’s pop up at the Eden Center was the most interesting assignment this writer has had so far, and therefore ceded the majority of this week’s political column space to ensure the story could be told in as much detail as possible.

Northern Virginia and race have a storied history, despite our current liberal accolades, and learning the genesis of Eden Center will make you a better citizen.

FCCDC Meeting Gets Heated

In this month’s Falls Church Democrats meeting, Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) was grilled on his past voting record by residents who will see him on the ballot for the first time this June.

We strongly encourage readers to visit candidate websites, and in particular look for affirmative statements regarding the rights of LGBTQ+ folks, and ensure they are vocally competent on the issues. It’s important what a candidate is willing (or unwilling) to state, publicly, especially about communities currently the target of GOP attacks.

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Falls Church News-Press Vol. VIII, No. 1 • March 19, 1998

Candidate Pulls Out of School Board

Campaign

One of five candidates on the ballot for F.C. School Board has withdrawn this week.

Dr. Mitchell B. Wallerstein notified the City Registrar of Voters, citing his recent appointment as VP of the MacArthur Foundation.

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XXIII, No. 4 • March 21, 2013

F.C. Council Rushes to Emergency Vote to Keep Harris-Teeter From Cancelling

The action taken by the F.C. City Council at its work session was veritably unprecedented. To cast a formal vote on a matter of City business normally never happens outside of a regularly-scheduled meeting.