I arrived home for my aliyah on September 2, 2026 - 20 Elul, 5786 - during the week we celebrate the ultimate transition of power: the parsha that Moses, having led our people through the harsh expanse of the wilderness, laid his hands upon Joshua and relinquished the mantle of leadership.
I have a message for today that the cynics among our people may mock - “such audacity from galut, without having lived here.” But I didn’t pack up my life to stay quiet when the house is on fire, and the spirit of B'nei Yisrael does not bow to geographic origin. I carry a love for this nation that will not be silenced and I bring with me a subtle chutzpah that meets that of the sabra. And while it’s true that I don’t see everything you see, you also don’t see everything I see - like how embarrassing it is that our miraculous nation has succumbed to the simple-minded binary delusion of being for or against a single politician. Open your eyes and hearts. We have among our leaders strong, patriotic competence - even if we’ve been conditioned to believe otherwise by pathetic demonization and baseless hatred. We’ve inherited an opportunity during this sliver of history in which we ought to be eternally grateful to live - we must not squander it. Stand strong and dignified against those who feed their ambitions with our fears. It’s intoxicating to hate.
So let me say this directly to you, Bibi: I love you like family.
But love and truth flow from the same spring.
I honor the immense weight you have carried for decades. I honor the eternal memory of your heroic brother, Yoni, whose sacrifice at Entebbe is etched forever into the bedrock of Jewish courage and Israeli society. I see the heavy burden of destiny you have carried on your shoulders, standing as an unrelenting defender of our people against an oft-hostile world. I honor the extraordinary achievements of your legacy - the economic revolution that unlocked the Start-Up Nation, the expansion of critical infrastructure, the visionary Abraham Accords that sprang like a river in the desert, and the global relationships you established and nurtured. These are historic achievements, which ought to be recognized by us all as the work of a masterful statesman whose devotion to Am Yisrael’s prosperity has been unquestionable.
Yet, despite your perception of what you consider a witch hunt, you nevertheless must confront that the natural law of human fallibility has begun to plague your leadership. The deep domestic rifts, the erosion of trust in public institutions, the agonizing, divisive political games, and the inescapable reality of failed security promises have taken a heavy toll on the soul of our nation. You know power can corrupt the greatest of men, and I submit it confuses them too. The Qatar scandal, among the others, is unbearable evidence of your confusion. I hope it’s confusion. At some point, in life or death, you will bear this dual responsibility - for the good and the bad. Best to see to it in life.
Do not let your vast achievements be soiled by expiration. Do not dishonor the lessons of history and power. Heed the mistakes of Saul. We talk in the diaspora about the resemblance of the current moment to the 1930s. The talk in Israel ought to be of the 60s CE, when our ancestors’ catastrophic disunity, under the Herodians, made way for the Roman exile. It is time for national introspection. And Bibi, it is time for you to find your Joshua.
Netanyahu, find a successor
You may truly believe that you are still the best candidate. You may believe your mission is unfinished. I know you carry the profound conviction that only you can navigate this storm, and I honor the devotion that’s driving you. But we are a team. And I urge you to read the writing on the wall. The signs are clear, and the trajectory is known. The present moment calls for a leader to sew the fabric of unity. You have been a formidable shepherd, but you are not that seamster.
But if you harden your heart and cling to the status quo, the consequences may devastate the Zionist dream. A nation fractured from within pushes away its own people and cannot absorb the imminent ingathering of the exiles. To create this environment is counterproductive to everything our Zionist forebears stood for, and fought for. But I need not inform you of what you already know.
If we do not want Israel to risk its demographics, spiritual strength, and covenant for Jewish security, we must not inadvertently create conditions that echo the tragic spirit of the 1939 British White Paper. The spiritual and physical doors of our home must remain open.
I fear that if you put yourself before the future of the nation, it will be an unforgivable transgression. But I do not intend to be a prophet. You still hold the pen that writes your final chapter. And you can still play your part.
So if you seek to redeem your legacy, look to Mount Nebo. Embody the humility of Moses, who looked across the Jordan River at the Promised Land, and understood that his personal journey had to end so that the nation’s journey could continue. He did not fight the divine decree. He blessed his people, empowered Joshua, and stepped back with dignity, ensuring our eternal survival.
It is not too late for you to do the same. We must end the wandering of the political desert so we may return to planting our garden. Step into the political heavens with grace and power, let the nation heal, and secure your honorable place in Jewish history.
We have yet much work to do.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Robbie Cohen is an infrastructure and energy lawyer who has made Aliyah from Toronto, Canada.