Economist Says Indecisive Wars and Netanyahu’s Health Could End His Political Career

The Economist says the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career could be determined by “Indecisive wars and Netanyahu's deteriorating health,” while it adds that the Knesset is expected to vote on dissolving itself on May 20 and that parliamentary elections must be held no later than October 27.

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Haaretz

The report says the immediate trigger was hardline parties’ demand for “a law exempting religious seminary students from mandatory military service,” and it states that Netanyahu had been prepared to pass the law but failed to marshal the votes needed to push through something not popular with the public.

Haaretz

It also frames the Gaza war as part of a broader pattern, saying “victory remained elusive” and that Israel controlled “just over half of Gaza” while Hamas controlled the other half.

The Economist further says that “more than 70,000 people were killed, most of them civilians,” and that the war pushed Gaza’s residents “to the brink of famine.”

Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister who leads the right-center slate, is quoted by the Economist as pledging that if he forms the next government, “the first cabinet meeting will be devoted to appointing a commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the attacks.”

The Economist adds that while the inquiry is necessary, “accountability for the brutality of the Gaza war is another matter,” and it ties that to its claim that “more than 70,000 people were killed, most of them civilians.”

RFI

The report also includes a Likud deputy’s election-focused view, quoting: “We are likely to lose the election because the wars dragged on and did not yield decisive results.”

It further says that before October 7, Netanyahu’s coalition was pushing “controversial legal reforms that would significantly weaken the Supreme Court,” and it notes that hundreds of thousands of Israelis have protested for weeks against what they saw as an erosion of Israel’s democratic foundations.

The Economist says the Iranian regime, which Israel has attacked twice alongside the United States, is “exhausted but resilient,” and it adds that in Lebanon, Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, continues to fight the Israeli army on the ground.

“The Economist magazine almost suggested that observers had long predicted—the imminent collapse of Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the past two and a half years—and even wished for it; ultimately, two hardline parties in the governing coalition brought it down”

Arabi21

It states that Hezbollah has continued despite having “lost most of its leadership in air strikes,” and it says Netanyahu still hopes Donald Trump will renew his attacks on Iran while “few members of the Israeli intelligence community” believe the regime is on the verge of collapse.

The report also says that “the specter of October 7 and the many Israeli wars Israel has fought since then will continue to loom over the scene,” linking the Gaza war to ongoing campaigns.

Finally, it says that Netanyahu faced the challenge after Hamas’s attack launched from Gaza and Israel’s failure to anticipate it, and it reports that he “blamed the army and the intelligence services” while promising Israelis a full victory in future wars.