Netanyahu's political future is at stake, and the assassination of a senior Hamas leader may save him
The New York Times
📌 Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, has survived several controversies, including accusations of corruption and allegations this year that the country's controversial reform of the judiciary was a bad power grab.
📌 But now he is facing the biggest crisis of his political career. The backlash against his government's failure to prevent the October seventh Hamas-led terrorist attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 others were taken hostage, as well as criticism of his handling of the war in Gaza, is steadily increasing.
📌 People inside Netanyahu's government and those hoping to replace him agree that his standing has never been so low among the Israeli public.
📌 However, given the complexities of the Israeli parliamentary system and the vicissitudes of war, there are few paths to ousting Mr. Netanyahu soon from office. Analysts say his long-term political prospects and legacy largely depend on how he handles the coming days.
📌 In recent days and weeks, vigils to pay tribute to the dead Israelis have turned into protests against Mr. Netanyahu's leadership. Calls for him to take responsibility for the intelligence failures that preceded the Hamas attack turned into a campaign demanding his resignation.
📌 A far-right member of the ruling coalition, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to bring down the government. Members of Netanyahu's Likud party have spoken of defecting, according to two senior party members. The United States, Israel's closest and most important ally, began to put pressure on the prime minister in order to reduce the number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
📌 As the war enters a new phase on Friday after the collapse of the seven - day truce and the start of a renewed Israeli air campaign, Mr. Netanyahu is looking for a solution - including the possible assassination of the Supreme Leader of Hamas in Gaza-that can appease his coalition, silence his critics and satisfy a population desperate for him to return the remaining hostages from Gaza and defeat Hamas.
📌 In a statement to reporters on Friday, Mr. Netanyahu said he was committed to”destroying Hamas". He has privately told his aides that he is pushing the military to assassinate Hamas chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, according to a current and former Israeli official who spoke with the prime minister in recent days.
📌 Officials said that Mr. Netanyahu believes that the assassination of Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks, will be enough to convince the Israeli public that a major victory has been achieved against Hamas and that the war can end.
📌 Israeli political analysts said that Sinwar's death could stop, but not reverse, the wave of public anger directed against Mr. Netanyahu.
أنش "if the IDF succeeds in assassinating a prominent Hamas figure, I expect Netanyahu to seek credit," said Anshel Feifer, a columnist for Haaretz, and author of the book "Bibi: the turbulent life and times of Benjamin Netanyahu".
📌 Mr. Feffer added that, despite the past several scandals that have shaken Mr. Netanyahu's reputation, he has always managed to save his political skin.
📌 For most of the past year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest the prime minister's plans for a judicial reform. Many Israelis see the changes as linked to Mr Netanyahu's ongoing trial on corruption charges, although he has denied any link between the two.
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