One of the great mysteries of Israeli politics is how the country reached the point at which there is no obvious alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. How is it that none of the people running against him are deemed capable of taking on one of the most sensitive, precarious jobs in the world, prime minister of Israel?
Israel’s political history is marked by decades of rivalry between leaders, claimants to the throne, political “princes” and legendary figures competing for the top leadership position, ever since the country’s founder David Ben-Gurion retired from office. The Labor Party produced Moshe Sharett, Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yigal Allon, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Haim Ramon, Yossi Beilin and many others. The Likud offered Menachem Begin, followed by Yitzhak Shamir, David Levy, Ariel Sharon, Moshe Arens and many more. Netanyahu became a rising star in Israeli politics in 1988, when he returned home from his post as ambassador to the United Nations. Eight years later, he was elected prime minister. Ever since, Israeli politics has been thrashed. What was once an oasis brimming with outstanding individuals and talent has become an arid wasteland.