Israel united behind the military operation that the 74-year-old ordered to destroy the Palestinian militants in the wake of the shock that followed Hamas’s October 7 strikes.
Credit: Business Today
Although Israelis have been sharply divided since Benjamin Netanyahu took office again last year, they have united against Hamas in the war effort, but some believe the seasoned leader will be struggling to survive once it is over. Israel has united behind the military operation that the 74-year-old ordered to exterminate the Palestinian militants, despite the shock that followed Hamas’s October 7 strikes.
However, experts believe that security shortcomings made visible by roving Hamas militants might deal Israel’s longest-serving prime minister—who is already dealing with legal and political issues—the largest and potentially deadly blow. Even before October 7, support for Netanyahu and his coalition was eroding, and since the war began, it has significantly decreased, according to Toby Greene, a researcher at the London School of Economics and a politics lecturer at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
Long a dominant figure in Israeli politics, Netanyahu is adored by his followers as “King Bibi” and “Mr Security” and derided as the “crime minister” by opponents and demonstrators. However, the most recent surveys of public opinion point to a decline in backing for the blunt-speaking Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party. Many are enraged by the lack of security, particularly Israelis who reside in neighborhoods close to the Gaza border, which took the brunt of the onslaught that, according to Israeli officials, claimed 1,400 lives, the bulk of them civilians.
Most Israelis no longer feel secure under Netanyahu, a former commando unit member who has always portrayed himself as a steadfast defender of Jews.Although security lapses have been admitted by the military and intelligence services, Netanyahu has not taken responsibility for Hamas’s unexpected strike.
Netanyahu’s supporters have not disclosed his involvement, and some opponents have joined his war cabinet in support of the Israeli bombing campaign, which the health ministry operated by Hamas claims has killed close to 9,500 civilians in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu recently stated at a press conference that he only intended to see Hamas resign when asked if he would consider retiring.
However, Netanyahu, who took government for the first time in 1996, is now compelled to play the defence. After the war, the head of the most right-wing administration in Israeli history acknowledged that he would have to provide “answers” for the strikes. Furthermore, he has expressed regret for a since-deleted social media post in which he accused the intelligence agencies of neglecting to alert him to the Hamas danger.
The clever Netanyahu will need to step down from government or forfeit the parliamentary majority that his party’s alliance with far-right and ultra-orthodox Jewish parties is holding.Before the assaults, pressure on Netanyahu had been mounting, and analysts believe a showdown is only a matter of time. After leading Israel for almost 16 of the previous 27 years, the prime is currently defending himself in three court proceedings related to corruption. Large-scale demonstrations against his hardline government’s divisive judicial makeover, which critics claimed threatened Israeli democracy, took place in the nine months preceding October 7.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Born on October 21, 1949 is an Israeli politician who has held the position of prime minister of Israel twice, from 2009 to 2021 and from 1996 to 1999, as of December 20, 2022. He is the Likud party’s chairman. With further than 16 times in office, Netanyahu holds the record for the longest term of any high minister in the history of the nation. In addition, he is the first prime minister to be born in Israel following the country’s Declaration of Independence.
Netanyahu was raised in Jerusalem and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after being born in Tel Aviv tonon-religious Jewish parents. In 1967, he came back to Israel to matriculate in the IDF. In the Sayeret Matkal special forces, he rose to the rank of captain and led brigades on multiple operations until being honourably released. In order to establish the Yonatan NetanyahuAnti-Terror Institute, he returned to Israel in 1978. Netanyahu served as Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 1984 to 1988. After being chosen as Likud’s president and taking the helm as Leader of the Opposition in 1993, Netanyahu gained notoriety.
