He is back from the dead, once again. Less than a week before the March 2 elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded in edging past the opposition Blue and White party in the polls and is drawing closer to the coveted goal of a 61-seat Knesset majority for his Likud party. A mission deemed impossible just days ago.
Netanyahu succeeded with his comeback despite the fact that two weeks after the voting, on March 17, he is due to present himself at Jerusalem District Court to face an indictment on three severe charges, among them bribery. Despite the upcoming trial, and against all odds, Netanyahu now manages to control the public agenda, dictate the pace and generate new spins almost daily that boost his support and create a positive momentum. Everyone who eulogized Netanyahu should now take a deep breath. He will not be able to prevent the criminal trial (charges have already been filed in court), but the chances that he will form Israel’s next government and run the state as a defendant in a corruption trial no longer appear so imaginary.