(Yossi Verter-Haaretz).About five months after reentering the Prime Minister's Office, it can be said of Benjamin Netanyahu that "the jury is still out." Sworn enemies of his from the not-too-distant past, such as President Shimon Peres, Barak, Avigdor Lieberman, Dan Meridor and Benny Begin claim that the 2009 Netanyahu model is an improved version, more mature, less prone to mistakes.
Some of them have a clear political and/or personal interest in saying so. The relationships that Netanyahu has formed with all the above-mentioned at work and on a personal level are among his prominent achievements in his second term.
Now a new member is joining the Friends of Bibi Club. Tal Zilberstein, 39, who advised both Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert when they were prime ministers, is today the shadow adviser of the current prime minister.
They speak on the phone often, but meet rarely, mainly because of Zilberstein's tight schedule - he works abroad a great deal, running political campaigns. The last time they met was about two months ago on a Friday afternoon, at Netanyahu's father's home in Jerusalem.
Zilberstein is still a close friend of Olmert's, still loathes Barak - but that doesn't prevent him from advising Netanyahu, and he sees no contradiction. Olmert gave him a green light to help Netanyahu during the election campaign. Incidentally, Zilberstein is the man behind Aryeh Deri's unsuccessful attempts at a comeback, which keep on shattering against the wall of the legal definition of moral turpitude.
During the first meeting between them, about two months before the elections, Zilberstein told Netanyahu, "I got into politics in the mid-1990s because of you. In order to stop you." Netanyahu laughed.
"When Netanyahu wants to consult, I'm happy to talk to him," said Zilberstein this week. "He can go further than Sharon did. I help with things that fall into that category."
Do you really Netanyahu to be different person from the prime minister you fought against so passionately in the 1990s?
Zilberstein: "There's no question about it. On a personal level, he's an impressive man; many of his weak points, such as pressure and panic - which we exploited - no longer exist. He has changed for the better. He is definitely ready to move ahead. But I am also convinced that if he doesn't embark on a major political initiative, he will end up competing with Barak on the brevity and insignificance of his tenure."
Are you convinced that he is ready for a diplomatic move? He could encounter strong opposition from the Likud and fall.
Zilberstein: "I don't think so. It's if he does nothing that he'll fall. He has a far better chance of leading a [peace] process than did [opposition leader] Tzipi Livni, had she been elected. She would have been unable to do anything, because her coalition would have been very problematic for her, she would have been beholden to Shas and Lieberman, and dependent on less than 50 percent of the Knesset. Netanyahu has the best of all worlds."
Some of them have a clear political and/or personal interest in saying so. The relationships that Netanyahu has formed with all the above-mentioned at work and on a personal level are among his prominent achievements in his second term.
Now a new member is joining the Friends of Bibi Club. Tal Zilberstein, 39, who advised both Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert when they were prime ministers, is today the shadow adviser of the current prime minister.
They speak on the phone often, but meet rarely, mainly because of Zilberstein's tight schedule - he works abroad a great deal, running political campaigns. The last time they met was about two months ago on a Friday afternoon, at Netanyahu's father's home in Jerusalem.
Zilberstein is still a close friend of Olmert's, still loathes Barak - but that doesn't prevent him from advising Netanyahu, and he sees no contradiction. Olmert gave him a green light to help Netanyahu during the election campaign. Incidentally, Zilberstein is the man behind Aryeh Deri's unsuccessful attempts at a comeback, which keep on shattering against the wall of the legal definition of moral turpitude.
During the first meeting between them, about two months before the elections, Zilberstein told Netanyahu, "I got into politics in the mid-1990s because of you. In order to stop you." Netanyahu laughed.
"When Netanyahu wants to consult, I'm happy to talk to him," said Zilberstein this week. "He can go further than Sharon did. I help with things that fall into that category."
Do you really Netanyahu to be different person from the prime minister you fought against so passionately in the 1990s?
Zilberstein: "There's no question about it. On a personal level, he's an impressive man; many of his weak points, such as pressure and panic - which we exploited - no longer exist. He has changed for the better. He is definitely ready to move ahead. But I am also convinced that if he doesn't embark on a major political initiative, he will end up competing with Barak on the brevity and insignificance of his tenure."
Are you convinced that he is ready for a diplomatic move? He could encounter strong opposition from the Likud and fall.
Zilberstein: "I don't think so. It's if he does nothing that he'll fall. He has a far better chance of leading a [peace] process than did [opposition leader] Tzipi Livni, had she been elected. She would have been unable to do anything, because her coalition would have been very problematic for her, she would have been beholden to Shas and Lieberman, and dependent on less than 50 percent of the Knesset. Netanyahu has the best of all worlds."
