“Israblof”

This delicious sabra term meaning “Israeli bluff” refers to policy that is more rhetoric than substance. It made its appearance frequently during the Covid chaos, to bludgeon the government for going through the theater of policy-making, without achieving anything on the ground.

But as practiced by Bibi Netanyahu, Israblof also has an upside. It denotes the Israeli ability to sell a big dream, whether in tech or diplomacy, and generate momentum that makes the vision a reality.

Could it be that Naftali Bennett needs schooling in the arts of Israblof? His predecessor persuaded Pfizer boss Albert Bourla that Israel could be a global proving ground for his vaccine; Bennett himself reportedly struggled to get the pharma executive on the phone. According to Avi Blum of our Hebrew edition, Bibi asked why Bennett hadn’t dangled before Pfizer Israel’s drive to vaccinate young teens as a prize in return for more vaccines.

Sour grapes it may be, but Bibi’s assessment that in vaccine diplomacy “there are no free gifts” has the ring of truth.