The text discusses the challenges of assessing threats to the Likud-led government in 1977, noting that left-wing intellectuals openly called for violent resistance against political opponents, exemplified by Zeev Sternhell's call for military action. These threats resulted in the Likud's hesitancy to enact necessary reforms and led to the entrenched influence of a left-wing coalition within unelected bureaucratic structures, which undermined democratic processes. Consequently, this dominance allowed bureaucrats to obstruct government decisions and manipulate voter behavior, particularly among welfare-dependent populations.