18 hours ago
As war with Iran rages, Netanyahu's political survival is once again secured
After striking Iran on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in just a matter of hours, went from having his coalition on the brink of collapse to almost all of the opposition politicians behind his 'Rising Lion' operation against Iran.
The turnaround is yet another example of how Mr Netanyahu almost always seems to survive.
The leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, having only just finished an attempt to dissolve the parliament, said on X that Israel's operation was 'a necessity'. He did not once mention his criticisms of and efforts to topple the government since the inception of Mr Netanyahu's coalition.
The comments came shortly after Mr Lapid and other opposition members became the closest they had yet been to toppling Mr Netanyahu, following a coalition crisis over his ultra-Orthodox parties' anger at a lack of progress in passing a law to exempt their young men from service.
For days, it appeared they would leave the government and deprive the prime minister of his majority.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennet, a favourite for prime minister in the event of future elections and a fierce critic of Mr Netanyahu's efforts to exempt ultra-Orthodox military service, took to X after the Iran strikes began to say, with not one mention of Mr Netanyahu: 'Now we have finally hit the head of the octopus."
Sami Abu Shehadeh, one of the few Israeli politicians willing to criticise Mr Netanyahu at the moment and his Iran operation, told The National that the prime minister was 'trying to push the region into a huge war that nobody needs in order to keep his coalition'.
'Israel is a very militarised society. Whether in the opposition or coalition, politicians have had a career in the army. When there are security issues, they forget they are politicians and that they can and should criticise anything,' he added.
'They start behaving like any small soldier who gets an order. They do not think as free politicians who see the whole context and can put forward a different political programme.'
Another opposition politician and often controversial figure, Ayman Odeh, said that the timing of the attack on Iran is not a coincidence.
'I think that it really has to do with Netanyahu's inability to keep his coalition. He is leading us to this very dangerous war with the Iranians, dangerous for the Israelis, the Palestinians and to the whole Middle East, based on his very narrow political interests.'
A seasoned political survivor and Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Mr Netanyahu has weathered many crises.
Since October 2023, Mr Netanyahu's government has faced mounting unpopularity, with polls showing his coalition would not stand a chance in an election today. Public anger has surged over his refusal to take personal responsibility for the intelligence, military and policy failures that led to the 2023 Hamas attack, and for not doing enough to secure the return of hostages still held in Gaza.
