On July 20, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the heavy cost that Israel had paid at the beginning of the land operation in the Gaza Strip: 13 soldiers had been killed and dozens more were wounded. Shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon held a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. In the shadow of that bitter announcement, the event was a reminder of the fickleness in attitudes toward the conflict in Gaza, among the Israeli public at large but also among the political leadership.

Just two days earlier, politicians from the Likud Party and other right-wing parties were still tongue-lashing at the prime minister, accusing him of reluctance and cowardice, and of abandoning the residents of the south. At the time, political pundits explained that Netanyahu would pay a high electoral price among his right-wing voters for showing moderation in the use of military force. The situation was exacerbated by calls from Netanyahu’s main rivals in the nationalist camp, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, for a significant ground operation.

Over the past few days, Netanyahu has become a punching bag of sorts for the Likud. Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, whom Netanyahu has since fired, accused him of abandoning the residents of southern Israel and of exhibiting “left-wing slackness.” Liberman, who dismantled the alliance between the Likud and his own Yisrael Beitenu faction on July 7, toured the towns of the south that were targeted by rockets, giving interviews to the media in which he challenged the prime minister’s decisions.

On the evening of July 20, however, with the country plunged into mourning, Netanyahu stood behind the podium at the Defense Ministry and gave the impression that he was assuming the role of the responsible adult. What created this impression was not only the ground operation, which came after almost two weeks of relative restraint, but mostly it was the popular belief that this was a war of “no choice.” It was a justifiable war, which led the country to stand united behind its leaders. Netanyahu proved to the public that military restraint paid off diplomatically. He could take pride in the support he received from the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany and Canada. For him especially, this support was nothing short of remarkable, after spending years contending with international isolation in so many diplomatic situations.