Nearly six months since it began, Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip is dragging on. So, too, is the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Israel, some are now asking: Are the two linked?
To his allies, Netanyahu’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza is a necessary one, made in the national interest and backed by many Israelis. The thinking goes that Israel must cripple Hamas to weaken its hand at ceasefire negotiations.
To his critics, the prime minister is dragging out the war to prevent the collapse of his fragile rightwing coalition and extend his time in office. By this analysis, he has made a domestic calculus that ignores both the growing global anger about the bloodshed — including from Israel’s most powerful ally, President Joe Biden, which erupted into full view Thursday — and the rising anger from the families of Israeli hostages who seek their relatives’ immediate release.