Could Israel-US war on Iran save Netanyahu’s political future?
It remains unclear whether the Israeli prime minister will get a "victory photo" to rescue his image after the security debacle and Hamas attack in October 2023.
The war in Iran has, for now, boosted public support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it has not significantly shifted the balance of power between the country’s two main political blocs, according to Israeli political analysts.
If elections were held today, they told Al-Monitor, Netanyahu would likely still fall short of the support needed to form a majority coalition.
Netanyahu, who has held office for 18 years total, with short periods out of office since 1996, saw his popularity plummeted after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and was already on shaky ground due to his standing trial on charges of bribery and breach of trust. Analysts believe that the political stalemate could shift in Netanyahu's favor if the Iranian government is toppled by popular uprising in the wake of the war. A March 5 poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute revealed that 82% of Israelis support the war against Iran.
Political stalemate
