Nobody has held power longer in Israel than Benjamin Netanyahu, writes David Remnick in the New Yorker. But in his in-depth look at the prime minister, now in his sixth term, Remnick notes that Netanyahu's polling is "dismal" in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas raid. He "always campaigned on security, presenting himself as the one statesman and patriot who saw through the malign intentions of Israel's enemies," but "he had presided over an unprecedented collapse of state security," writes Remnick. Netanyahu is further angering people in the aftermath: "Among the many accusations being leveled at Netanyahu is that he failed a test of basic humanity when he did not immediately and publicly connect with the families of the hostages." Netanyahu has tried to counter that criticism, but his attempts at empathy have largely come off as insincere, writes Remnick.
So what now? Remnick draws from extensive interviews to lay out a potential scenario that wouldn't please the 74-year-old leader: As "the war shifts to a lower, less 'kinetic' level, thousands of reservists who were active in the judicial-reform protests and who are now fighting in Gaza will join anti-government demonstrations." Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid tells Remnick that these "are good Israelis fighting admirably but also angry as hell at Netanyahu and this bunch of lunatics he's surrounded himself with." At the same time, Remnick notes that the longer the war goes on, the more time Netanyahu has to shore up his political base and ward off political opponents, including Benny Gantz, who's currently serving in Netanyahu's war council. Read the full story, which takes note of the influence of Netanyahu's father, Benzion, on his son's views. (Or check out other Longforms.)
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