Skip to main content

Netanyahu's renewed legitimacy

The international legitimacy enjoyed now by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will last for a short while only, unless he renews the diplomatic negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint news conference with Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured) in Tel Aviv July 15, 2014. Israel sees in the Egyptian-proposed Gaza truce an opportunity to strip the Palestinian enclave of rockets but is prepared to redouble military action there if the cross-border launches persist, Netanyahu said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3YPXL
Read in 

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.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.