Netanyahu goes on the offensive
Shlomo Cesana - Israel Hayom 
Henry Kissinger once famously quipped that Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy. Originally, the remark was directed at the conduct of the Israeli coalition, but after Yair Lapid's and Avigdor Lieberman's shared performance on Monday, it may also apply to the opposition when the opposition presumes to deal with foreign policy.

On Monday, the Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu party leaders convened an emergency conference at the Knesset, titling it "Fighting for Israel's International Status." At the conference, the two criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies, accusing him of lacking strategy and refusing to acknowledge the problem.

But if we look at Lapid's strange bedfellows, in the past he joined forces with Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett -- that "brotherly" alliance was never convincing and ultimately turned out to be based entirely on personal interests. This week, it was obvious from the get-go that Lapid's new partnership with Lieberman is purely interest-based. To be more specific, it is based on one particular interest: Generating a united front against Netanyahu

The conference that Lapid and Lieberman convened dealt with the Foreign Ministry and the state of Israel's foreign policy. Their chief complaints against the Foreign Ministry were that many of the ministry's duties -- including fighting anti-Israel boycotts, cultivating relations with the Palestinians, diplomacy with the Americans and confronting the Iranian nuclear threat -- have been redistributed to other ministries, such as the Strategic Affairs Ministry and the Diaspora Affairs Ministry. But this redistribution stems from the diplomatic shifts in our region, the political power structure and organizational shifts in the system. In addition, the redistribution has vastly improved the National Security Council, giving it the role of coordinator and adviser.

As for the state of Israel's foreign policy, Netanyahu has tried to make a clear distinction between the anti-Israel actions and decisions made by international bodies -- like the U.N., the EU and the African Union -- and the more significant relations between Israel and various foreign countries -- relations revolving around defense and intelligence cooperation, agricultural cooperation, technology, the future, shared interests and alliances against the obvious evil.

On the one hand, Netanyahu clearly understands that it will take time to change global opinions. On the other hand, it is more important to invest in close partnerships with moderate Arab countries, cooperate with European countries and strengthen ties with the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, India, Canada, Australia and a string of African countries. In the U.S., for example, support for Israel is on the rise and every Gallup poll proves that, year after year.

Criticizing and mudslinging is easy. It is much harder to clean up the mess. When Lieberman served as foreign minister all he did was light fires that had to be put out. Lapid, for his part, is a self-appointed foreign minister trying to build himself up as an opposition leader. That is why Netanyahu responded so harshly to their criticism. "I do," Netanyahu said. "They just talk."

While they talk about international isolation, Netanyahu's calendar is jam-packed with meetings with diplomats and political leaders from around the world. The world is moving forward. Not everyone sees reality as it truly is, but eventually, they, too, will understand, Netanyahu believes.