Tomer Plag: When the President of the State Becomes Shimon Riklin

Tomer Plag attacks President Isaac Herzog for his conduct in meetings with party representatives, claiming he adopted the Bibist messaging and pressured the Democrats for unity with Netanyahu, while ignoring his previous statements against the prime minister.

Tomer Plag, a communications consultant and former journalist, sharply attacks President Isaac Herzog for his conduct in meetings with party representatives during the coalition talks. Plag claims that Herzog adopted the Bibist messaging, especially in the meeting with the Democrats, where he asked, "Is all of life just 'yes or no to Netanyahu'? Isn't it time to go for unity?" The writer compares the president to Shimon Riklin, a Channel 14 host, and accuses him of hypocrisy in light of his previous statements against Netanyahu. Plag asks why Herzog did not ask tough questions of the Likud and Haredi representatives, such as about advancing the judicial overhaul or supporting draft dodgers, while he put Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas to a "loyalty test" and asked the Democrats about their "support for refusal." The article ends with a hope that the president will give the mandate to Gadi Eisenkot.