News Analysis | The reign of Netanyahu is over, for now

But after his threat to ‘topple the dangerous left-wing government’, the message is clear — the former Israeli PM is already plotting a comeback.

Supporters call him ‘King Bibi of Israel’. Detractors deride his right-wing politics, polarising leadership and bellicose foreign policy. But Benjamin Netanyahu has been a domineering presence in Israel’s politics for more than three decades. On Sunday, his illustrious political career suffered a major setback when a coalition formed by his former allies and partners proved majority in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, bringing an end to Mr. Netanyahu’s 12 years of consecutive rule. Arguably, no politician has managed to influence Israel’s domestic and foreign policies as much as Mr. Netanyahu has done in the new century. He ruled from the right, made alliances with a host of Jewish orthodox parties, took a harder line towards the Palestinians, expanded the Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories, repeatedly bombed Gaza, clashed with the Obama administration over the Iran deal, took Israel’s covert and overt operations to Iran and Syria, made peace with four Arab countries and refused to leave power despite repeated failures to form a stable government since 2019. Even after the ‘change’ coalition was formed under the leadership of centrist politician Yair Lapid and right-wing leader Naftali Bennett, Mr. Netanyahu tried till the last moment to subvert government formation. And after it became certain that Mr. Bennett would be elected Prime Minister on Sunday, in the Knesset, he threatened to “topple the dangerous left-wing government”. The message is clear — Mr. Netanyahu is already plotting a comeback.