How Netanyahu Saved Himself by Destroying Gaza
Two years ago today, the Israeli prime minister was a dead man walking, writes former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy.
On Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, as the Jewish holiday season was drawing to a close, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have been looking with some dread at the return of the Knesset from its long summer recess.
Intense street protests had continued for months in opposition to his government’s judicial overhaul program – including a massive general strike called in March 2023, when Netanyahu was forced to rescind the dismissal of his then defence minister, Yoav Gallant (today, Gallant and Netanyahu both have International Criminal Court arrest warrants against them for alleged war crimes).
At the time, Netanyahu’s military chiefs were warning him that under conditions of such societal division, the cohesion necessary for a people’s army to maintain security was fraying – including increasing numbers of pilots and others refusing reserve duty until what they considered to be anti-democratic measures were dropped. Netanyahu’s criminal trial was proceeding, his narrow coalition looked shaky, and the prospects of passing a budget during the autumn parliament session were uncertain.
Then, Hamas launched its horrific attack.