Netanyahu’s aggressive strategy brings political success and a raft of scandal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a winning streak. His victories have been achieved at least partially by a long-standing tactic: delay.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a winning streak. From a low point in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack, his poll numbers have rebounded. He fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who long threatened his coalition and whose attempted dismissal last year led to massive protests. He has installed allies as foreign and defense ministers, meaning his governing coalition has never been more stable. He passed a law to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, long derided by Israel. The White House will soon be home to Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has spoken three times in the past week. He is riding a wave of military success too: The leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah are dead. Gaza is decimated, and Israel controls the Lebanese border. (Rarely mentioned are the more than 43,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry there – the majority of whom the UN says are women and children.) His victories have been achieved at least partially by a long-standing tactic: delay. He has refused to establish a national commission of inquiry into October 7. He has refused to outline a coherent plan for governance and security in Gaza the day after the war ends. Qatar has withdrawn as mediator with Hamas after accusing both sides of refusing “to engage constructively.” And Netanyahu continues to be stalked by the scandal that has long followed him through his career. His critics – among whom are prosecutors, investigators and journalists – allege that that success has come through an aggressive and high-stakes strategy, which has led in recent weeks to a raft of new inquiries and revelations. His lawyers this week asked an Israeli court to delay by 10 weeks a deposition he was set to give in a yearslong corruption case lodged against him. “Over the past two months, it has been almost impossible to hold meetings for the purpose of preparing the Prime Minister for testimony,” his office said in a letter to the court.