Still,critics have been increasingly emboldened to go as far as to question his ability to lead Israel as it wages apunishing war in Gaza.
Moshe Yaalon,his former defence minister,did so in a radio interview,saying the prime minister “is solely engaged in political maneuvering and his attitude is,‘Let the nation burn.’ I don’t trust him to lead the military campaign”.
People protest in Tel Aviv,Israel earlier this month.Credit:Getty
No trust
The attack initially ushered in a period of unity in Israel,as Netanyahu formed an emergency cabinet with an opposition leader,Benny Gantz,and said the time for responsibility would come after victory.
For three weeks,that bought him time with most Israelis,even those who’d spent months in the street protesting his populist policies.
Loading
But now,opponents say,the man who has served as prime minister longer than any in Israel’s history failed spectacularly by ignoring Hamas’ true intentions.
His polling numbers are tanking as he struggles to keep his government functioning,rescue hostages and defeat Hamas,which Australia,the US and the EU have designated a terrorist organisation.
Within hours of Netanyahu’s message on X,formerly Twitter,backlash followed,straddling the political divide.
Gantz,himself a former defence minister,was among the first to call out Netanyahu and demand he retract the comments.
“When we are at war,leadership must show responsibility,decide to do the right things and strengthen the forces in a way that they can to realise what we demand from them,” he said on X. “Any other action or statement – harms the people’s ability to stand and their strength.”
People in Jerusalem walk between posters of hostages abducted by Hamas militants in Gaza.Credit:AP
Polls conducted soon after Hamas’ attack suggested Netanyahu’s popularity had dived,while that of Gantz had soared.
In an essay in business daily Calcalist,Amnon Shashua – the co-founder of Mobileye NV,Intel Corp’s Israel-based autonomous vehicle unit – wrote of Netanyahu’s “failures,dissonance and incompetence” since October 7,saying the government must be replaced immediately.
Left-leaningHaaretz newspaper’s lead editorial on Monday was a call for Netanyahu to step down. Within his own Likud party and coalition,he’s been met with private agitation,but public silence.
When asked for comment,Mark Regev,a Netanyahu adviser,said on Bloomberg Radio that he was “not aware of any pressure for him to resign. It’s clear there were failures on the Israeli side.”
Destroyed buildings after Israeli rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip.Credit:Getty
It’s a message echoed by Danny Danon,a Likud legislator and former United Nations ambassador.
“Now no one should resign,” Danon said in a telephone interview. “We are in the middle of a war. We need to win the war.”
“After we finish,we will have a full inquiry and those who need to will pay the price.”
The failure to protect against the Hamas assault stems from a view that wasn’t unique to Netanyahu.
Virtually the entire security establishment,along with political leaders left,right and centre,had grown to accept the idea that Hamas was deterred and its leaders were interested in ruling and economic prosperity rather than anti-Israeli violence.
Some18,500 Gazans were working in Israel,bringing home salaries and helping stabilise the impoverished region,a policy begun under the previous government and continued by Netanyahu. The plan was to increase the number this very month.
Loading
Yet,while Hamas was broadcasting a desire to go along with Israel,its military wing was methodically preparing its devastating attack.
Questions emerge
At first,Netanyahu was granted leeway since he wasn’t alone in accepting the misconception. But quickly other arguments were made.
Netanyahu effectively undermined the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank in a kind of divide-and-conquer approach to the Palestinians. And he had midwifed the arrival of hundreds of millions of dollars in Qatari aid for Gaza,which may have permitted Hamas to spend intensively on military training.
In addition,when he formed his most recent government last December,he brought in extremists on the right who worked to increase Israeli settlements in the West Bank and weaken the country’s Supreme Court. Thissplit the nation,producing weekly protests and prompting thousands of military reservists to refuse to go to training.
Loading
Many people warned the prime minister that he risked weakening the country economically and militarily,and that its Iran-backed enemies – militias like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – saw it as an ideal moment to pounce. Stocks fell,the shekel plunged,foreign investing declined.
Whenever protesters or security chiefs said Israel was in peril - and they did so repeatedly and with growing urgency - Netanyahu would play down their concerns. He was trying to bring Israel ultimate security through a deal to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia.
For many of his critics,Netanyahu became an unreliable leader when he was indicted on charges of bribery and fraud in early 2020.
The following year,he lost an election to a broad coalition and many believed his political career was over. But a year ago,he pulled together a group of ultra-nationalist and religious parties and returned to office.
The priorities of his partners took centre stage,leading to the weekly protests.
Back in August,Israelis gather for the 34th consecutive week to protest against plans by Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the judicial system.Credit:AP
As the Saudi deal looked likely this past summer,Netanyahu seemed,once more,to be spinning political magic,keeping the Palestinian issue on the back burner.
Then Hamas struck.
Although the country has unified around the war,it hasn’t taken long for many Israelis to express contempt for their elected leader and his fellow ministers. And while many both in and out of government offered the public apologies for what happened,Netanyahu wasn’t among them.
Pressure built for him to accept responsibility. At a press conference last Saturday night,most of the questions were about that.
Family and friends gather at the funeral of an Israel Defence Forces soldier killed by Hamas.Credit:Getty
After midnight,he issued his post foregoing any guilt over the failure. Four hours later came the deletion. His critics say they won’t let it go at that.
“Ultimately,Netanyahu scored an own-goal,” said Sima Kadmon,a veteran commentator atYedioth Ahronoth newspaper. “He has provided legitimacy for the other side to begin to discuss Netanyahu’s responsibility before the war is over. This is the war within the war.”